Animal Studies of Attachment

Animal Studies of Attachment

1. Lorenz

   • Studied imprinting in geese
     • Goslings imprint on first thing they see, hatch and follow it around
       • survival mechanism- swim, keep safe, get food
         • Randomly divided clutch of goose eggs
           • Half left with mother, half in an incubator with Lorenz being the first thing they saw
             • Control group followed mother whist experimental group followed Lorenz
               • Critical period needs to occur in- hours/day depends on species, doesn't occur- may not form attachments
                 • Imprinting is irreversible and long lasting
                   • Affects mate choice (sexual imprinting)

2. Evaluation of Lorenz

   • Imprinting is plastic, Guiton found he could reverse the imprinting of chicks attached to rubber gloves
     • Human babies born helpless without motor skills so cannot demonstrate imprinting
       • Human mothers show more emotional attachment than geese
         • Hospitals advocate 'kangaroo care' premature babies getting skin to skin contact as soon as possible
           • babies in an incubator do not necessarily have attachment problems
             • Attachment is a two way process, skin to skin contact important for both mother and child
               • Ethical issue- if mating with another species with no choice
                 • Useful if mother dies

3. Harlow

   • Aim: explore basic needs of infants, whether contact comfort > feeding
     • Basis for attachment, effects of separation on later behaviour
       • Method: 8 rhesus monkeys separated from mothers after birth, given wire and cloth mother
         • Milk provided through nipple in one of mothers
           • Time spent with mothers recorded as well as reaction to frightening event
             • Results: all monkeys spent more time with cloth mother
               • Frightened- ran to cloth mother
                 • Adulthood- unable to from normal relationships
                   • Attacked moneys why tried to mate
                     • Any offspring were neglected, attacked and sometimes killed
                       • Conclusion: physical contact > feeding in development of emotional bonds
                         • Contact contact not sufficient alone for healthy development
                           • Interaction is important, lack of causes permanent socio emotional damage

4. Evaluation of Harlow

   • Unethical
     • Harlow didn't anticipate result
       • Research for greater good? Contribution to attachment is vital
         • Supports Bowlby's work suggesting babies need secure attachments to develop normally and notion of critical period of 90 days
           • Lead to foster parent looking after babies in care before adoption to from attachment
           • Possible confounding variables e.g. shape of head
           • Humans and animals have similar behaviour but humans have more of it - quantitive
             • Behaviour means something different to humans - qualitative
               • Suomi and Harlow found effects could be reversed or moderated by contact with normal monkeys (monkey therapists)
   • Rape rack