AO3

• • Generalisability to humans - the mammalian attachment system is quite different from that in birds. Mothers show more emotional attachment to young than do birds.
• Support and criticism for imprinting- Guiton- found chicks exposed to yellow gloves for feeding became imprinted on the glove = shows are not born with predisposition to imprint on specific object, thus attachments are innate not learnt. Yet with experience they eventually learnt to prefer mating with other chickens.
• • Confounding variable- heads on mothers were different. Monkeys may have preferred one over the other as more ‘attractive’. This may have acted as a confounding variable, with monkeys spending more time on cloth monkey as it was seen as more desirable = suggests Harlow’s conclusions lack internal validity
• • Issue with generalising animal studies – humans differ from animals, human behaviour is governed by conscious decisions. BUT research supported by Schaffer and Emerson who found that infants do not always attach to the person who feeds them = suggests conclusions should be treated with caution
• Ethical implications/issues – Harlow’s research created long-lasting emotional harm as infant monkeys found it difficult to form relationships with their peers. Some argue animal research is justified in terms of our knowledge of attachment and development of better care for infants e.g abuse = benefits of animal research outweigh the costs