animal studies

• ANIMAL STUDIES: Lorenz (1952)

  Lorenz studied 12 goslings and their mother

  • 6 hatched with mother
  • 6 hatched in incubator where the first moving object they saw was (intentionally) Lorenz.
  • The 6 goslings followed Lorenz as their mother
  • Critical Period for (irreversible) imprinting identified, e.g. 13-16 hours after hatching
  • Otherwise goslings don't form attachment to mother figure.
• ANIMAL STUDIES: Lorenz (1952)

  EVALUATION

  + supports the concept of imprinting and its promotion of survival

  -hard to generalise findings from birds to humans

  -some of Lorenz's observations are 'questionable'
• ANIMAL STUDIES: Harlow (1958)


  • 16 Rhesus monkeys studied
  • 2 wire mothers side by side, both dispense milk
  • plain wire and cloth-covered mother
  • monkeys cuddled to cloth mother regardless of milk
  • contact comfort is higher valued than food
  • cloth mother sought when frightened
• ANIMAL STUDIES: Harlow (1958)


  EVALUATION:

  Monkeys showed attachment behaviours, e.g. playing with toys when cloth mother was present, phobic responses when wire mother was present.

  +humans and monkeys are similar

  + important practical applications (such as the recognition of both physical and mental needs of children)

  -not generaliseable to humans

  -unethical research (detrimental to monkeys) - timid, difficulty mating, unpredictable, inadequate mothers.
• Lorenz evaluation points

  • supports concepts
  • hard to generalise
  • questionable observations
• Harlow evaluation points


  • unethical research
  • can't generalise findings
  • important practical applications
  • humans and monkeys are similar