Animal studies

• Lorenz study of grey goslings

  -Procedure: Lorenz took a clutch of eggs and divided them into two groups. One group were placed into an incubator and when hatched saw Lorenz first and group two who were left naturally with the mother and when hatched saw the mother first.

  -Results: Goslings that imprinted on Lorenz sought Proximity ti him. Imprinting occurred in the first few hours after hatching which influences later mating behaviour. Attachments would not be made after the critical period had elapsed.
• Contributions from Lorenz's study to attachment:

  -Imprinting; Lorenz proposed that living organisms are born with an innate drive to form attachments with first living and moving figure present after hatching. Once animal has imprinted the bond will last forever and be irreversible. It will influence mating behaviour in the future.

  -Critical period: Drive to attach can only occur during a set period of time. Duration is influenced by genetics. For Geese it's a few hours and humans it's 0-2 years.

  -Lorenz argued attachments can't be after critical period has elapsed.
• Harry Harlow - Rhesus monkeys

  -Procedure: Harlow studied monkeys in controlled lab conditions. Separated 8 monkeys from their mothers after birth and placed in cages with access tow surrogate mothers where one was made of wire and one was made of cloth.

  -Results: Monkey had a choice between food and no contact comfort or no food and contact comfort. They always use contact comfort - most spent 17/18 hours a day with the cloth mother and less than 1 hour with the wire mother.
• Harry Harlow found…

  -All monkeys spent more time with the cloth covered mother than the wire. When frightened all monkeys sought proximity and contact comfort from the cloth mother.

  -Monkyes will explore a new environment full of novel toys bit will always go back to the cloth mother using them as a secure base.