what animal research tells us about human attachment

• Lorenz

  due to the fact that geese had a critical period Bowlby, who based his work on Lorenz, found that humans also have a critical period. however, in humans the critical period is much longer because they are less mobile from birth, whereas geese may got lost as they are highly mobile from birth. Lorenz also found that this attachment was irreversible, suggesting that this may be the same with humans. lorenz also found that the geese had an internal template for future relationships which bowlby later found humans had to
• harlow

  harlow found thaat monkeys favoured comfort and security, this suggests that humans also need comfort and security to form an attachment. this also shows that it was social interaction that helped to form an attachment. both quality and quantity of interaction. when Harlow found that isolates monkeys were not developed normally, this shows that early experiences and social interacion is important for normal development.
• evaluating animal studies

  + humans and monkeys are similar

  + green found that biologically, all mammals have the same brain structure as humans, the only difference being size and number of connections

  + harlows research has profound implications for childcare. showing that needs must be cared for not just physically
• evaluating animal studies

  - results cannot be generalised to humans

  - can it be extrapolated to complex human behaviours. it doesn't reflect the emotional connections and interactions that characterise human attachment

  - its unethical due to the fact that the animals were psychologically harmed and they cannot consent to experiments