Animal studies

• Summarise Lorenz's research

  -1/2 geese imprinted on Lorenz and 1/2 imprinted on biological mother

  -When reunited with biological mother, incubated group still saw Lorenz as real mother allowed Lorenz to identify a critical period that would determine who primary attachment figure was
• How did Lorenz also investigate sexual imprinting?

  -Peacock raised in reptile house and imprinted on giant tortoises

  -As an adult it would only display courtship behaviour towards giant tortoises

  -Lorenz concluded that the peacock had undergone sexual imprinting
• What was Harlow's research?

  He studied the importance of contact comfort over food and had baby monkeys in cages with a cloth mum and wire mum

  wire mother only produces milk

  When frightened, monkeys would seek contact comfort from cloth mother despite the fact that she dispensed no food
• How did Harlow research maternal deprivation?

  When reared only by wire mothers, the adult monkeys were extremely dysfunctional

  Monkeys reared by a cloth mother too were also dysfunctional

  Effects of this maternal deprivation included:aggression, less sociable, difficulty breeding and mating, female monkeys often killed/attacked their own babies
• • AO3 limitations for animal studies...:( Geese/Monkeys are not humansresults cannot be generalised to human situations as we are a different species and therefore the studies have little real-world application/ population validity:( Ethical issuesHarlow's study caused permanent and severe distress to the monkeysA* However, his findings and conclusions have important theoretical/practical applications such as disproving Cupboard love theory
• • AO3 strengths of animal studies
  • :) research support
  • Regolin et al found when chicks were shown certain shapes they would follow the one they were originally shown as they had imprinted on it
  • :) Real-world value
  • Understanding of the importance of attachment figures in zoos as well as for babies in care