Animal Studies in Attachment: Lorenz & Harlow

Background on Konrad Lorenz
- An ethologist focused on animal behaviour in natural conditions.
- Interested in the phenomenon of imprinting.

Imprinting: A process resembling attachment in human infants where a baby animal bonds with its caregiver. It occurs when an offspring follows the first moving object it sees after hatching.
- Common in birds but also found in various mammals, fish, and insects.
- Hypothesis: If baby animals can imprint shortly after birth, then attachment might be innate.

Procedure:
- Split a clutch of goose eggs randomly into two groups:
1. Control Group: Left with biological mother in natural habitat.
2. Experimental Group: Placed in incubator, hatching in artificial conditions.
- Upon hatching, the first living moving object seen by the incubator chicks was Lorenz. For the control group, it was their natural mother.
- All goslings were mixed post-hatching to observe behaviour.

Behaviour of Goslings:
- Control group followed their biological mother.
- Experimental group imprinted on Lorenz, following him instead.
Noted a critical period for imprinting:
- If a moving object is not visible during this critical period (between 13 and 16 hours post-hatching), no attachment will occur.

Backed by numerous supporting studies, including Guiton’s (1966) study where yellow rubber gloves induced imprinting in leghorn chicks.
- Suggests that imprinting is not species-specific; any consistently moving object can be imprinted upon during the critical period.
Influences other psychological areas e.g., developmental psychology, leading psychologists like Bowlby to formulate attachment theories based on biological critical periods.

Findings cannot be generalized to humans due to differences in attachment processes:
- Attachment in mammals is reciprocal, involving interaction and reciprocity, unlike one-way bird imprinting.
- Bird imprinting can occur on inanimate objects, highlighting a lack of true attachment compared to human relationships.
Alternative research indicates imprinting can change and is not necessarily permanent, suggesting it resembles learning rather than attachment.
- Example: Chickens that imprinted on rubber gloves can revert back to mating with their own kind after prolonged exposure.

Background on Harry Harlow:
- An American psychologist known for studies of attachment through maternal-separation and social isolation.
- Observed that newborn rhesus monkeys died in isolation but thrived with soft cloth companions.

Developed two mother substitutes for infant monkeys:
1. Wire Mother: Covered in wire, dispensed milk through a bottle.
2. Cloth Mother: Made of foam rubber and covered in soft cloth, did not dispense milk.
Eight infant rhesus monkeys were placed in a cage with both mothers for 165 days. Data collected on time spent with each mother, alongside additional observations during stress.

Monkeys preferred to stay with the cloth mother for comfort over the wire mother, regardless of provision of food.
In stressful situations, monkeys sought comfort from the cloth mother.
- Monkeys showed preference for physical contact and comfort as the basis for attachment, supporting the theory that attachment isn't solely feeding.

Longitudinal study revealed that monkeys raised with wire mothers developed severe dysfunctional behaviours:
- Displayed aggression, lack of sociability, poor mating skills, and aggression towards their offspring.
Critical period noted for reversing some dysfunctional behaviours — those socialized with others before three months showed some recovery, whereas prolonged isolation over six months led to irreversible abnormal behavior.
Findings contradicted the learning theory of attachment, which posited attachment was based on food association. Harlow demonstrated that "contact comfort" mattered significantly more.

Real-world applications observed:
- Understanding of severe effects due to lack of parental bonding has led to improved interventions for child development, informing child-care practices and settings such as zoos and wildlife centers.

Results cannot be applied to human behaviour due to significant biological and behavioural differences between monkeys and humans.
Ethical concerns regarding the inflicted suffering on monkeys raised longstanding issues, raising questions about the ethical balance between research findings and animal welfare.
- Long-term behavioural damage in monkeys formed a critical aspect of evaluating the validity and morality of Harlow’s work.

Maintain objectivity in reporting studies; focus on factual elements without personal opinions or emotions.
Evaluation of studies should weigh both strengths and limitations comprehensively, ensuring a balanced account of research outcomes and ethical considerations.