What are the key animal Studies in attachment?

• There are two key studies within this area, which you need to know for this part of the course:
  • Lorenz: Imprinting in Goslings
  • Harlow and Harlow: Love in Infant Monkeys
• There is more detail on both of these on the revision note that follows.
• It is important to know both studies as they are both named on the specification and each can be a question in their own right.

What is ethology?

• Ethology is the study of non-human animals in order to learn more about humans
• It differs from Zoology
• Zoology is the study of animals in order to understand the animal itself
• Therefore, it is very important in a study of ethology to consider how this relates to humans and what we learn about our own species from this

Lorenz

• From Lorenz, we learn that attachment may be innate in humans: Something we are born with
• It starts in goslings practically from birth, so why not humans?

Harlow and Harlow

• From Harlow, we learn that humans do not attach based on the presence of food/nourishment
• This is a serious challenge to the Learning Theory of attachment and, once again, is supporting Bowlby and his theory of evolution

Issues with animal studies

• Can we extrapolate research from animals to humans?
• We are more complex both socially and neurologically so it may not be appropriate to do this
• It is unethical to study animals as it often involves keeping them in captivity, exposing them to conditions and phenomena that may cause them harm, if not physically then psychologically
• When an animal is studied, even in a relatively cruel-free environment, it still causes them undue stress and this could impact the findings, as well as be harmful to the animal
• For example, an animal cannot ask what will be done to them, how long it will take and if it will hurt them
• Therefore, the findings need to be treated with caution as this may be influenced by the experimental setting: Unless it is a natural study, as with Lorenz