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Animals studies of attachemnt (Evaluation (Confounding variable…
Animals studies of attachemnt
Key terms
Imprinting - an innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother which take place during a specific time in development, probably the first few hours after birth/hatching. If it doesn't happen at this time it probably will not happen.
Lorenz's research
Key study Lorenz (1935)
Procedure
Clutch of goslings eggs
Separated into two conditions, one with the mother and one with Lornez
He wanted to test as to whether the goslings would imprint onto a human being
Findings
Lorenz's brood showed no recognition of their natural mother
Animals can imprint on a persistently present moving object seen within its first two days.
Lorenz did observe that imprinting to human does not occur in some animals, for example curlews will not imprint onto a human.
Long lasting effects
The process is irreversible and long lasting
Early imprinting had an effect on late male preferences, called sexual imprinting - choose to mate with the same object upon which they were imprinted.
Harlow's research
Key study: Harlow (1959)
Procedure
2 wire mothers with a different head. On wrapped in silk and another with a mesh with a food bottle
eight infant rhesus monkey were studied over 165 days
Observe the times with the 'mother's that they were given
Observations were done through frightening the monkeys e.g. through a mechanical bear
Findings
Spent most of the time with the cloth clothed mother
they were socially abnormal and sexually abnormal.
Evaluation
Research support for imprinting
Criticisms of imprinting
Confounding variable
Generalizing animal studies to human behaviour
Ethics of Harlow's study