Animal studies of attachment

Animal studies of attachment

• Animal studies into attachment were conducted on the basis that there was a bilogical similarity between humans and animals, so what was true for animals would also be true for humans
• These studies were also regarded as being more ethical than if performed on humans

Lorenz's research on imprinting

• Procedure:
  • Lorenz randomly divided 12 goose eggs, half hatched with the mother goose in their natural environment and the other half hatched in an incubator where the first moving object they saw was Lorenz
  • He then mixed the groups together to see who they would follow
• Findings
  • The incubator group followed Lorenz, the control group followed the mother goose
  • This phenomenon is called imprinting- whereby bird species that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first moving object they see
  • Lorenz identified a critical period in which imprinting needs to take place
  • Depending on the species this can be as brief as a few hours after hatching
  • If imprinting does not occur within that period, chicks will not attach themselves to a mother figure
• Sexual imprinting
  • Lorenz also investigated the relationship between imprinting and adult mate preferences
  • Birds that imprinted on a human would later display courtship behaviour towards humans

Harlow's research on the importance of contact comfort

•  The importance of contact comfort
  • Harlow observed that newborns left alone in a bare cage usually died but usually survived if given something of comfort like a cloth to cuddle
• Procedure
  • Newborn Rhesus monkeys were separated from their mothers and raised in isolation cages
  • Two types of suurogate mother were constructed- a harsh 'wire mother' and a soft 'towelling mother'. 16 baby monkeys used, 4 in each of the following four conditions:
    • A cage containing…