Animal studies of attachment

Question 1

What are the aims/procedures of Harlow’s study(A01)

Answer 1

Aim - Investigating if attachment happens because of contact comfort instead of food
Procedure - Cage containing a wire mother producing milk and towelling mother producing milk
Cage containing wire mother producing no milk and towelling mother producing no milk(16 monkeys used in total)
Time spent with fake mothers/feeding time
Monkeys were frightened to test for mother preference

Question 2

Findings/conclusions of Harlow’s study(A01)

Answer 2

Findings - Monkeys preferred the towelling mother to the wire one
Sought comfort from the cloth one when frightened even if it did not produced milk
Conclusion/long term effects - Contact comfort is more important than food
90 day critical period(early maternal deprivation can be reversed before 90 days)

Question 3

What are the aims and procedures of Lorenz’s study(A01)

Answer 3

Aim - Investigate imprinting
Procedures - Goose eggs split into incubator group and control group
Incubator group hatched with Lorenz/control group hatch with the mother naturally
Gosling behaviour is recorded
Goslings were marked to identify each group
Once hatched, goslings were mixed in a box and then recorded once removed from the box

Question 4

Findings/conclusions of Lorenz’s study(A01)

Answer 4

Findings - Incubator group followed Lorenz/Control group followed the mother
Each group followed who they hatched with(Lorenz or the mother) even when mixed
Critical period of imprinting(no attachment if imprinting doesn’t happen in a certain time period 24 hours)
Conclusion - Geese follow first moving visible object
Imprinting can’t be reversed
Imprinting is a form of attachment for creatures who leave the nest early

Question 5

What is the research to support imprinting/counter to the research(A03)

Answer 5

Guiton et al - Chicks tried imprinting on yellow washing up gloves
Shows they are born with innate mechanism to imprint within the critical period
Chickens gained experience and tried to mate with other chickens(counter)

Question 6

What are the extraneous variables in Harlow’s study and what do they cause(A03)

Answer 6

Fake mothers were given 2 different heads and faces
Monkeys may have preference based on appearance instead of contact comfort
Low internal validity

Question 7

Why can’t animal attachment research be generalised to humans(A03)

Answer 7

Humans/monkeys have different features(e.g speech for humans) that makes it easier or harder to develop attachment
Human attachment and animal attachment is therefore different

Question 8

Issues and debates of animal studies/counter to issues/debates(A03)

Answer 8

Ethical issues - Protection from harm was breached. Monkeys suffered greatly.
Suffering was needed to justify effects(counter)