psychology : evaluation of animal studies in attachement

Question 1

what is a problem with generalisability in both Lorenz’s study ?

Answer 1

Lorenz
- they only studied non-human animals so difficult to assume that human would act in the same way
- attachment formation in mammals appears to be very different to that bird species
- parents especially mothers ‘show more emotional reactions to their offspring with the added ability pf being able to form attachments beyond the 1st few hours after birth
- whilst some of Lorenz’s findings have greatly influenced our understanding of development and attachment formation - the results and conclusions can’t be necessarily be extrapolated to a human population

Question 2

what is a problem with generalisability in both Harlow’s study ?

Answer 2

• if the primates are considered to be sufficiently human like to generalise the results beyond the sample used
• then it stands to reason that the effects of psychological harm that hey will have endured are similar to that of a human baby also
• HOWEVER the question of whether the insight obtained was sufficiently important of psychologists understanding of attachment that Harlow was justified in his approach

Question 3

what is a research support for Lorenz’s findings ?

Answer 3

• the existence of support for the concept of imprinting
• regolin and vallortigara (1995)
• chicks were exposed to simple shape combinations that moved
  e.g a triangle with a rectangle in front
• when exposed to a range of combinations they followed the original one most closely
• supports the view that young animals are born with an innate mechanisms to imprint on a moving object present in a critical window of development

Question 4

what was ethics in Harlow’s research ?

Answer 4

• Harlow’s procedure caused severe long-term distress and damage to the monkey’s involved
  -the question is where the value of knowledge gained outweighs the questionable methods used to obtain it
• monkeys suffered greatly in terms f emotional separation from their biological mother at such an early age due to the procedure Harlow used

Question 5

what is the real world value of Harlow’s research ?

Answer 5

• has practical value since it provides insight into attachment formation
• example Howe (1998) reports that the knowledge gained from Harlow’s research has helped social workers and clinical psychologists understand that a lack of binding may be a risk factor in a child’s development
• which can then serve to prevent it occurring or , at all the very least recoginise when to intervene

Question 6

how is there practical applications used ?

Answer 6

• in the care of captive wild monkeys in zoos OR breeding programme to ensure that they have adequate attachment figure as apart of their care
• this means tat the value of Harlow’s research is not just theoretical but can also be used in a practical sense in the real world