Attachment – Animal Studies of Attachment
Attachment – Animal Studies of Attachment
ANIMAL STUDIES OF ATTACHMENT
Lorenz Imprinting
Aim: to investigate the mechanisms of imprinting where youngsters follow and form and attachment to the first large moving object that they meet.
Method: 1. Split a large clutch of greylag goose eggs into 2 batches – one which hatched
naturally by the mother, and one which was hatched in an incubator, where
Lorenz was the first moving object.
2. He marked the geese so he could differentiate between them and placed them
in a box.
Results: – The geese that were hatched naturally followed their mother around
– The geese that were hatched from an incubator followed Lorenz around
– Imprinting would only occur between 4 and 35weeks after hatching
– It also affected their mating
Conclusion: Imprinting is a form of attachment, exhibited mainly by nidifugous birds, whereby close contact is kept with the first large moving object encountered
Evaluation:
| STREGNTHS | WEAKNESSES |
| – Generalisable to geese | – Not generalisable to other animals and humans |
| – Reliable – experiment can be repeated | – Hasn’t been replicated again |
| – Applicable to geese | – Field experiment |
| – Proves the idea of imprinting | – Only been tested on geese – not applicable to a wider population of other animals or humans |
| – Ecological validity as it is a real life situation | – Low population validity – only a small sample of geese were used |
| – Has face and internal validity as it tests what it’s supposed to | – Eggs were separated from their mother |
| – Eggs and hatched eggs were protected by Lorenz – no physical harm |
Harry Harlow Monkey Love Study
Aim: To test the learning theory by comparing attachment behaviour in baby Rhesus monkeys given a wire surrogate mother producing milk with those given a soft towelling mother producing no milk
Method: – Two types of surrogate mothers were constructed: a ‘harsh wired’ mother and a ‘soft towelling’ mother. 16 monkeys were used.
– Conditions: – a cage containing a wire mother producing milk and a cage of the towelling mother producing no milk.
– a cage containing a wire mother producing no milk and a towelling mother producing milk.
– a cage containing a wire mother producing milk
– a cage containing a towelling mother producing milk
– The amount of time spent with each mother was recorded.
– Monkeys were frightened with loud noises to test for mother preferences during stress.
– A larger cage was then used to test the monkey’s degree of exploration.
Results: – Monkeys preferred contact with the towelling mother when given a choice between the surrogate mothers, regardless of
whether she produced milk or not.
– Monkeys with only a wire surrogate had diarrhoea (a sign of stress)
– When frightened by a loud noise, monkeys cling to the towelling mother
– In larger cage conditions, monkeys with towelling mothers explored more and visited the surrogate mother more often.
Conclusion: – Rhesus monkeys have an innate, unlearned need for contact comfort, suggesting that attachment concerns emotional
security more than contact comfort – associated with lower levels of stress and a willingness to explore – indicating
emotional security.
Evaluation:
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
| – Can be generalised to monkeys | – Only monkeys used – cannot be generalisable to a wider population of other animals and humans |
| – Lab experiment – highly controlled conditions – allows for cause and effect – produces quantitative data | – Theory cannot necessarily be applicable to humans |
| – Theory applicable to monkeys | – Lacks mundane realism – because it was a lab experiment – lacks ecological validity – cannot be generalised beyond the present situation |
| – Unethical to use monkeys – psychological harm caused |
What else did Harlow do?
| CONDITIONS | RESULTS |
| – Cloth mother starves monkey | – Monkey clings to cloth mother. Goes to wire mother briefly for food |
| – Experimenter blows compressed air through changer to blow monkey off the cloth mother | – Monkey clings tighter to cloth mother |
| – Cloth mother fitted with lever to throw monkey across the cage | – Monkey clings tightly until thrown, waits until bucking ends, then returns to cloth mother |
| – Cloth mother fitted with Brass spikes, becomes Porcupine mother; stabs monkeys with retractable spikes | – Monkey clings until pain is unbearable, leaves porcupine mother, returns to her when spikes retract |
Exam Questions
Q1) Discuss at least one animal study of attachment (16 marks)
Q2) Outline the procedure used in one animal study of attachment (4 marks)
Q3) Compare the findings of Lorenz’s imprinting study of attachment to Harry Harlow’s study of attachment (4 marks)
Q4) Briefly discuss one limitation of using animals to study attachment in humans (4 marks)
Q5) Discuss the usefulness of using animal studies to investigate attachment (16 marks)