Animal studies of attachment

Question 1

Which 2 psychologists conducted animal studies of attachment?

Answer 1

Lorenz and Harlow

Question 2

What did Harlow seek to disprove?

Answer 2

The cupboard love theory of attachment

Question 3

What animals did Harlow study?

Answer 3

Rhesus monkeys

Question 4

How many monkeys did Harlow study?

Answer 4

8

Question 5

How long did Harlow study his monkeys for?

Answer 5

165 days

Question 6

How many different types of monkey mother did Harlow create?

Answer 6

2

Question 7

What were the 2 types of mother monkey in Harlow’s study?

Answer 7

Wire mother and cloth mother

Question 8

What was measured in Harlow’s study?

Answer 8

The amount of time the monkeys spent with each mother

Question 9

What were the 2 different experimental groups in Harlow’s study?

Answer 9

Milk bottle on wire mother and milk bottle on cloth mother

Question 10

What did Harlow find?

Answer 10

All 8 monkeys spent most of their time with the cloth mother - milk bottle or not

Question 11

What did Harlow’s monkeys do when frightened?

Answer 11

Cling to the cloth mother

Question 12

What did Harlow’s monkeys do when playing with a new toy?

Answer 12

They would keep one foot on the cloth mother for reassurance

Question 13

What are the 2 AO3 points of Harlow’s research?

Answer 13

1) Confounding variable
2) Unethical

Question 14

What is the confounding variable in Harlow’s study?

Answer 14

The different heads of the wire and cloth mothers

Question 15

Why are the monkeys heads a confounding variable in Harlow’s study?

Answer 15

Because it varied systematically with the independent variable - there is a possibility that the reason the monkeys preferred the cloth mother is because it had a more attractive head

Question 16

Why is Harlow’s study unethical?

Answer 16

The study caused the monkeys significant psychological harm (e.g. intentionally frightening them) + caused abnormal social development

Question 17

Despite Harlow’s study being unethical, how can this be justified?

Answer 17

It has led to a much better understanding of the processes of attachment and has allowed us to develop better care for human infants

Question 18

What animals did Lorenz study?

Answer 18

Geese

Question 19

What process did Lorenz study?

Answer 19

Imprinting

Question 20

What is imprinting?

Answer 20

An innate readiness to form an attachment bond

Question 21

What were the 2 groups in Lorenz’s study?

Answer 21

Hatched in the presence of mother or hatched in the presence of Lorenz

Question 22

What happened when Lorenz mixed the geese hatched in the presence of him with the geese hatched in the presence of their mother?

Answer 22

They all followed who they had imprinted on

Question 23

What did Lorenz conclude?

Answer 23

That there is a critical period in which imprinting occurs (0-2 days)

Question 24

What are the 2 AO3 points of Lorenz’s study?

Answer 24

1) Research support for imprinting
2) Criticisms of imprinting

Question 25

Who found research support for Lorenz’s theory of imprinting?

Answer 25

Guiton

Question 26

What animals did Guiton study?

Answer 26

Leghorn chicks

Question 27

What did Guiton do?

Answer 27

Hatched leghorn chicks in the presence of a moving yellow rubber glove

Question 28

What did Guiton find?

Answer 28

The leghorn chicks imprinted on the yellow rubber gloves

Question 29

What long term effects did Guiton find?

Answer 29

Male leghorn chicks tried to mate with rubber gloves when they had grown up, which suggests imprinting affects sexual, long-term development

Question 30

What characteristic of imprinting has been criticised?

Answer 30

The irreversible nature

Question 31

What research evidence challenged the irreversible view of imprinting?

Answer 31

Guiton found that he could reverse abnormal sexual development in his leghorn chicks by socialising them with other chicks