Animal studies (Lorenz and Harlow)

Question 1

Lorenz was an ethologist. What is an ethologist?

Answer 1

Someone who studies non-human animals from an evolutionary perspective.

Question 2

Describe Lorenz’s procedure.

Answer 2

-Divided a clutch of gosling eggs.

-Control group= half were left with their mother (natural environment).

-Experimental group= half placed in an incubator and saw Lorenz first.

Question 3

What is ‘imprinting’?

Answer 3

A behaviour pattern of recognition and attraction towards its own kind.

Question 4

What did Lorenz find about the experimental group?

Answer 4

They followed Lorenz and appeared to have formed an attachment with him.

Question 5

What did Lorenz find about the Control group?

Answer 5

They followed their mother.

Question 6

What happened when Lorenz put the two groups together?

Answer 6

The two groups separated. Half to their mother, half to Lorenz.

Question 7

What was the ‘critical period’ that Lorenz identified?

Answer 7

12-24 hours.
A critical period when imprinting needed to have taken place.

Question 8

Give an advantage of Lorenz’s research.

Answer 8

+Supporting evidence from Guiton.
Guiton exposed chicks to yellow rubber gloves, they became imprinted on the glove.
This supports the view that young animals will imprint on any moving object that is present during the critical window of development.

Question 9

Give a disadvantage of Lorenz’s research.

Answer 9

-Many psychologists disagree that imprinting is irreversible and has long term effects.
In Guitons research, when the chickens matured and after spending time with their own species, they engaged in normal mating behaviour.
This illustrates that imprinting is and can be reversed like many other forms of learning.

Question 10

What was Harlow’s aim?

Answer 10

To demonstrate that attachment was not based on a feeding bond.

Question 11

What were the two conditions Harlow used?

Answer 11

Condition 1= Cloth mother provided milk and the wire monkey didn’t.

Condition 2= Wire monkey provided milk and the cloth monkey didn’t.

Question 12

How long were the monkeys studies for?

Answer 12

165 days

Question 13

What did Harlow record?

Answer 13

How long the monkeys clung to each mother.

Question 14

What did Harlow find?

Answer 14

The monkeys spent most time with the cloth mother, with and without the feeding bottle.

Question 15

What happened when the monkeys were frightened?

Answer 15

They clung to the cloth mother.

Question 16

How did the monkeys develop into adulthood?

Answer 16

Abnormally (aggressive and less sociable)

Question 17

What was the critical period that Harlow identified?

Answer 17

90 days

Question 18

What happened after the critical period that Harlow identified?

Answer 18

Attachment was impossible for the monkeys.

Question 19

What did Harlow conclude?

Answer 19

Attachment does not develop as a result of being fed by a mother but as a result of contact comfort.

Question 20

Give an advantage of Harlow’s research.

Answer 20

+Led to important real life applications with both humans and animals.
Helped social workers understand the risk factors in child neglect and abuse, can prevent it.
Also important in the care of captive monkeys, therefore illustrates how Harlow’s research has practical value.

Question 21

Give a disadvantage of Harlow’s research.

Answer 21

-Raised a number of ethical issues.
It created stress to the young animals after being separated from their mothers. It also created long term emotional harm, and found it hard to form relationships as adults.

However, can be justified in terms of the significant effect they had on our understanding of the process of attachment in humans and that time.