Animal studies in attachment

• why do animal studies?

  Animals breed and grow faster so we test findings quicker across generations
• What is imprinting in lorenz’s gosling study

  imprinting is birds attaching and following the first moving thing they see.
• procedures in Lorenz’s Gosling study


  group one birthed in incubator who saw Lorenz first, group two was naturally born who saw mother first
• Findings in Lorenz’s Gosling study

  Groups followed their first sight (imprinting) with a few hour critical period
• What is sexual imprinting in lorenz’s gosling study

  (Later in geese life), if imprinted on human they tried to mate with a human
• What were the procedures of Harlows Rhesus Monkey experiment

  16 monkeys in cage with wire mother and a cloth mother, half had milk from wire half had milk from cloth
• Findings of Harlows Rhesus monkey study

  All monkeys sought comfort from cloth mother, concluded comfort overrides food. Monkey died if caged alone but lived if had something to cuddle in experimental groups
• Conclusions from Harlows rhesus monkey study

  Maternal deprivation: prolonged separation from mother negatively affects development, later in life these monkeys had social problems like aggression, repeated with only wire mother > found very dysfunctional monkeys
• What is a general strength of animal studies

  They grow and breed quicker, allows for more replication and more data which makes studies more reliable
• Weakness of Lorenz gosling study

  Birds attach differently to mammals, mammals more emotional so not completely applicable to humans
• Weakness of Lorenz gosling study

  Imprinting was not permanent, Later research found after life experience sexual imprinting can be reversed
• Strength of Harlows monkeys study


  Harlow changed attachment understanding showing the importance of comfort over food
• What is a strength of animal studies in attachment

  Application to real life > damage of maternal deprivation > introduce key workers in child care
• Weakness of animal studies of attachment

  Its unethical to treat animals how they were treated