Issues relevant to Held and Hein study

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Ethics

Animals cannot give informed consent, no right to withdraw, the kittens were permanently harmed.

Application to everyday life (usefulness)

Contributes to the nature-nurture debate, gives us an idea of which behaviours are inherited and which are learned.

increases our understanding that self produced movements and concurrent visual feedback is essential for the development of visually guided behaviour.

We now know that learning experiences and interaction with an environment are essential to normal development.

Generalisation

Can we generalise the findings to all mammals? even humans?

The use of animals in psychological research

Kittens raised in deprived environments and placed in apparatus to test their paw-eye coordination. Although when not exposed to apparatus, kittens were kept in dark cages with mother.

Animals are simpler so are easier to study

easier to do longitudinal studies on animals

Animals do not respond to demand characteristics.

The behaviour of animals is more biologically determined, humans are more influenced by culture and society

Special precautions needed to protect them

Can only do simple experiments on animals because their cognitive abilities are restricted.

Nature and Nurture Debate

Is perception learned or inherited? Do we see the world as it is when we open our eyes or do we have to learn to perceive the world? Held and hein investigated one small part of this question by allowing kittens different perceptual experiences, with some kittens reared in normal environment and some in visually restricted environment. The conclusion was that kittens need to learn from environment in order to develop normal perceptual abilties

Experiment - control

Experience of the kittens was matched

Speed of travel

Direction of travel

Distance traveled

Height from the floor

Contact with the floor

View of the apparatus

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