Attachment-Animal studies

    Cards (30)

    • What is the focus of attachment lesson four?
      Animal studies in attachment
    • Why are psychologists interested in early bonds between non-human parents and offspring?
      To understand mother-infant attachments in humans
    • What are the two animal studies covered in this lesson?
      The work of Lorenz and Harlow
    • In what year did Lorenz conduct his study?
      1935
    • In what year did Harlow conduct his study?
      1958
    • What method did Lorenz use to study attachment in geese?
      He divided goose eggs into two groups
    • What did Lorenz find about the incubator group of goslings?
      They followed him wherever he went
    • What is imprinting according to Lorenz?
      Attaching to the first moving object seen
    • What is the critical period in imprinting?
      A time frame for imprinting to occur
    • What did Lorenz conclude about imprinting and adult mate preferences?
      Imprinting influences later courtship behavior
    • What animal did Lorenz report on regarding sexual imprinting?
      An orphaned peacock
    • What was the setup of Harlow's study with monkeys?
      Two surrogate mothers: one wire, one cloth
    • What did Harlow find about the baby monkeys' preferences?
      They preferred the cloth-covered mother
    • How did baby monkeys behave when frightened?
      They sought comfort from the cloth mother
    • What long-term effects did Harlow find in motherless monkeys?
      Less sociable, more aggressive, poor parenting
    • What did Harlow conclude about attachment in monkeys?
      Attachment is based on emotional security
    • What is a strength of Lorenz's research?
      Research support for the existence of imprinting
    • What is a limitation of Lorenz's research?
      Poor generalizability to humans
    • What is a strength of Harlow's research?
      Real-world applications in child development
    • What ethical issue is raised by Harlow's research?
      Emotional distress caused to the monkeys
    • What are the key findings of Lorenz's study on imprinting?
      • Imprinting occurs when young animals attach to the first moving object.
      • There is a critical period for imprinting, as short as a few hours.
      • Imprinting influences later mate preferences and courtship behavior.
    • What are the key findings of Harlow's study on attachment in monkeys?
      • Baby monkeys preferred the soft cloth mother for comfort.
      • They sought comfort from the cloth mother when frightened.
      • Long-term effects of maternal deprivation included aggression and poor parenting skills.
    • What are the strengths and limitations of animal studies in attachment research?
      Strengths:
      • Provide insights into attachment mechanisms.
      • Limited demand characteristics and investigator effects.

      Limitations:
      • Ethical concerns regarding animal welfare.
      • Generalizability issues to human behavior.
    • How can Harlow's research inform real-world practices?
      • Helps social workers identify bonding risks in children.
      • Informs care practices for captive wild monkeys.
    • Maternal deprivation
      Monkeys deprived if a mother suffered severe consequences. Less sociable and more aggressive
    • Harlow conclusion
      Rhesus monkeys appeared to have an innate drive for contact comfort from their parents. Suggests attachment is formed through an emotional need for security rather than food .
    • AO3:Lorenz Research support
      There is existence of support for the concept of imprinting.
      Regolin and Vallortigara found when chick's were exposed to simple shape combos that moved after being exposed to a range of them, they followed the original most closely. Supports the view that young animals are born with an innate mechanism to imprinting on a moving object present in a critical window of development.
    • Lorenz-Generalisability
      Only studied non_humam animals so it is difficult to assume that humans would act in the same way. The attachment formation in mammals appears to be very different to that if bird species. Has greatly influenced our understandings but conclusions can't be extrapolated to a human population.
    • Harlow-Real world Application
      Has helped social workers and clinical psychologists understand that a lack of bonding experience may be a risk factor in cjild development, which can then allow people to intervene to prevent poor outcomes.This means the value of Harlow's research isn't just theoretical but can also be used in a practical sense in the real world.
    • Harlow-ethics
      Animal studies are practical in many ways but are also very unethical. The monkeys suffered greatly in terms ofnemotionalnseparationbfrom their biological mother at such an early age due to the procedure Harlow used. If the primates are considered to benlmsufficuently human-likento heneralisenthe results beyond the sample used then it stands to reason that the effects of psychological harm that they will have endured are also similar to that of a human baby also-no protection from harm.
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