Animal Studies

Flashcards covering key aspects of Lorenz's and Harlow's studies on attachment, including methods, findings, limitations, and implications.

What method did Lorenz use to study attachment?

He randomly divided a group of gosling eggs, hatching half naturally (control) and half in an incubator (experimental). Lorenz was the first moving thing they saw 13-16 hours after hatching. When the groups were mixed up, they continued to follow their respective mothers.

What did Lorenz conclude about attachment in goslings?

The incubator goslings imprinted on him, while the control group imprinted on their mother, suggesting attachment is biologically programmed.

What did Lorenz identify as a critical period?

A time frame when imprinting should take place, varying by species; if it doesn't happen, attachment may never form. For goslings, he found it was 12-17 hours.

What are some limitations of Lorenz's study?

Low generalizability (goslings to humans), low ecological validity (laboratory setting).

What are some strengths of Lorenz's study?

High replicability and high internal validity due to the lab experiment.

How did Harlow study attachment in monkeys?

He raised 8 baby monkeys with two wire mothers for 165 days: one plain, one cloth-covered, with varying milk dispensing. He measured the amount of time that monkeys spent with each surrogate mother.

What was the main finding of Harlow's monkey study?

Monkeys preferred the cloth-covered mother, regardless of which mother dispensed milk, suggesting contact comfort is more important than food.

What critical period did Harlow identify for rhesus monkeys?

90 days; if a mother figure isn't introduced within this time, attachment may never form.

What permanent effect did maternally deprived monkeys experience?

They did not develop adequate social behavior and were timid, unpredictable, unskilled at mating, even attacking or neglecting their children.

What are some limitations of Harlow's study?

low generalizability (monkeys to humans), low ecological validity (laboratory setting), ethical concerns (psychological harm to monkeys as they showed distress and lack of concent).

What are some strengths of Harlow's study?

High replicability and high internal validity due to the lab experiment.

How did the presence of the cloth mother affect the monkeys' behavior in Harlow's study?

The monkeys would explore more when the cloth mother was present and would often take refuge with her when a frightening object was placed in the cage.

What are the consequences of imprinting if attachments do not form in goslings?

If no attachments form within 32 hours, it’s unlikely that any attachments will ever develop, due to a lack of forming an internal working model.