Animal studies of attachment

Describe Lorenz’s study of attachment AO1

• Research into imprinting (part of process of forming attachment with parent), divided clutch of Greylag goose eggs, half hatched normally with mother + half in incubator

• Lorenz found when goslings hatched, incubated followed him around as he was first object they saw, ones hatched with mother followed her. When placed together, goslings became agitated and sought out mother (his goslings following him)

• Lorenz concluded imprinting is instinctive behaviour which occurs during critical period after birth, a long lasting and irreversible form of attachment

Describe Harlow’s study of attachment AO1

• Rhesus monkeys, research influenced by ‘Cupboard Love’ theory, which suggests infants form attachments to adult who feeds them

• Lab experiments on monkeys taken from mother soon after birth, placed in cafes with wire surrogate mother with milk and cloth mother without milk.

• Harlow found monkeys spent most time clinging to cloth mother, only approaching wire mother to get milk

• Concluded monkeys formed attachments with cloth mother as she was source of ‘contact comfort’ and safety, more important than feeding,

• Critical period of 90 days, if infants not provided with comforting mother not attach

• Maternally deprived monkeys revealed abnormal later behaviours eg killing offspring, being aggressive

Evaluation point 1 - generalisability

• P - limitation- results may not apply to humans, unlikely that observations of goslings following researcher or monkeys clinging to cloth-covered mothers reflects emotional connections and interactions in human attachment

• E - Harlow’s study were based on rhesus monkeys, findings that monkeys form attachments based on ‘contact comfort’ over food cannot be generalised to human behaviour. Human brains much more complex than animals, attachment much more complicated

• L - weakness as reduces generalisability of findings to attachment in humans, limiting the applicability and usefulness of the research in explaining attachment.

• H - some psychologists argue monkeys and humans are not that different- share 93% DNA, genetically and physiologically similar. Both form emotional bonds with a caregiver, this is strength of research as it suggests that Harlow’s findings can be generalised to humans to an extent

Evaluation point 2 - internal validity

• P - strength, well-controlled experiments allow cause and effect to be established

• E - in Harlow’s study, changed one key variable at time (what mother provided), controlling all other variables eg cage, age of monkeys, environment.

• L - strength as allowed Harlow to conclude monkeys formed an attachment based on comfort, and not any confounding variables, this increases the validity of Harlow’s findings as it ensured any difference in the monkey’s behaviour was caused by type of care and nothing else

• H - H’s research conducted in lab setting where infants raised with wire and cloth mothers, very different to real-life caregiving- caregiver interacts + forms reciprocal bond. Behaviour doesn’t reflect how attachments develop in natural environments, reducing eco val of findings

Evaluation point 3 - ethics

• P - limitation, ethical concerns

• E - Harlow’s monkeys experienced severe emotional and social distress, monkeys raised without real mothers showed extreme fearfulness, aggression and inability to socialise, many never recovered. Some even killed their offspring

• L - weakness, raises moral questions about monkeys use in invasive experiments and value of findings helping us to understand human attachment

• H - ends justify means? There were improved childcare practices- Harlow’s findings highlighted importance emotional warmth a comfort, not just feeding, stressed need for consistent, responsive caregiving in orphanages and foster care. Hospitals encouraged parent-infant contact