Animal Studies (Attachment) Flashcards
(11 cards)
What is a critical point
The specific timeframe when attachment to a primary caregiver is most sensitive
What is imprinting
Establishing who the parent/leader is through familiarity. Forming attachment with the first moving thing
What was Lorenz study procedure
-Took a clutch of geese eggs and put into 2 groups
-One group left with their natural mother, other group was placed in incubator
-When the eggs in incubator hatched, Lorenz was the the first moving subject they saw
-After, returned them to their natural mother
What was the finding of Lorenz study
Geese which had hatched with the incubator continued to follow him
Geese which hatched naturally continued to follow their mother
When the groups mixed, they continued to follow who they had imprinted on
What was Lorenz conclusion
Goslings are programmed to imprints onto the first moving object they see, explains rapid formation of attachment in animals
Happens during the critical point - 24 hours for geese
What was the procedure of Harlows money experiment
Tested the idea that soft objects serves some functions of a mother
-Used 16 monkeys with two wire model mothers
-In one condition mil was dispensed by the plain-wire mother
-In other condition milk was dispensed by a cloth covered mother
What was the findings of Harlows experiment
The baby monkeys cuddled with the cloth covered mother in preference to the plain wire mother and sought comfort when frightened - despite which mother gave milk
Contact comfort was more important than food when it came to attachment
Was was the lasting effects linked to maternal deprivation for the monkeys
Had wire mothers - most dysfunctional
Had cloth mother - did not develop normal social behaviour
Deprived monkeys were more aggressive + less sociable
-bred less, if they did, neglected or attacked their young
What was the critical point for the monkeys
90 days
What are the strengths
real life application
Point - One strength of Harlow’s research is its real-world applications.
Evidence- Harlow’s research provided vital insights into the emotional and developmental damage caused by a lack of early attachment
Explain - This has been particularly useful for social workers and clinical psychologists, as it helped them understand how early neglect or disrupted bonding can lead to long-term emotional and social problems in children. As a result, interventions can now be developed and implemented early to support at-risk children and improve their developmental outcomes
Link- Therefore this shows Harlows study had ecological validity’s as it can be used to prevent poor outcomes for children
research support
Point - One strength of Lorenz’s research is that there is supporting evidence for the concept of imprinting.
Evidence - For example, a study by Regolin and Vallortigara (1995) demonstrated that chicks exposed to simple moving shape combinations—such as a triangle in front of a rectangle—would later follow that original combination more closely than new ones.
Explain - This finding supports Lorenz’s theory by showing that imprinting occurs on the first moving object seen during a critical early period, even when that object is a simple shape rather than a living creature.
Link - Therefore, the study provides strong empirical support for the idea that imprinting is an innate and automatic process, reinforcing the validity of Lorenz’s conclusions
What are the limitations
generalisability
Point- One limitation of Lorenz’s research is the issue of generalisability from birds to humans.
Evidence- While his findings on imprinting in geese were influential, the attachment systems in birds and mammals differ significantly. For example, human are more complex cognitively and emotionally
Explain - This means that the processes Lorenz observed may not fully reflect how attachment works in humans, limiting the applicability of his conclusions.
Ethics
Point - One major limitation of Harlow’s research is the ethical concerns surrounding the treatment of the monkeys.
Evidence - The baby monkeys were subjected to severe emotional and physical distress, such as being isolated or placed with frightening surrogate “mothers,” which caused long-term psychological harm.
Explain - This raises serious questions about the morality of the procedures used, especially given the lasting effects on the monkeys’ social and emotional development.
Link - Therefore, his ethical issue may also reduce the credibility of the findings, particularly when considering how such harm would not be acceptable in research today.
