Animal studies

• Lorenz (1935) -geese study

  • A batch of goose eggs were split into two
  • mother
  • incubator - Lorenz
  • Goslings showed imprinting behaviour with mother and Lorenz, depending on the group placed
  • Both groups were placed together with mother and Lorenz present, the goslings divided into their 'imprinting' groups quickly and followed them
  • CONCLUSION: animals imprint on the first persistently present moving object seen at birth (security)
  • Irreversible and long-lasting, changing adult behaviour as well
• Imprinting


  Attaching to the first moving object seen
• Harlow (1959) -monkey study


  • A monkey was exposed to a 'wire mother' containing a feeding bottle and a 'cloth mother'
  • Monkey spent most of its time with the 'cloth mother' for comfort, occasionally going for food (17 hrs compared to >1 hr a day)
  • When frightened with mechanical bear, monkey clung to 'cloth mother'
  • CONCLUSION: infants develop an attachment to those who provide comfort, not those who feed them, there is a critical period of 90 days before effects were irreversible
  • Long term effects - social + sexual abnormalities and many other negative consequences from trauma
• What do both animal studies say about attachment?


  • Attachment is innate
  • There is a critical period of time for attachment after birth
  • There is a big importance of attachment at youth to long-term development (e.g. reproduction can be affected)
• Ethical issues with research by Lorenz and Harlow


  • Imprinting is irreversible
  • Monkey was frightened - lasting emotional harm
  • Animals found it difficult to form relationships with their peers after research
• Do the animal studies apply to humans?


  • Supports Schaffer & Emerson's 'sensitive responsiveness'
  • More human research needed for confirmation
  • Lacks internal validity - confounding variable found as the 'cloth mother' had a more attractive head
• How does the Guiton chick study agree and disagree with Lorenz + Harlow


  • Chicks imprinted with rubber gloves later tried mating with the gloves - shows long-term effects
  • Chickens that imprinted with gloves engaged in sexual activity with their own species after spending time with them - reversible
• Critical period 


  A biological determined period of time, during which certain characteristics can develop

  Outside of this time window such development will not be possible