ATTACHMENT 4 Animal Studies

Recap Research into the role of the father in attachment has allowed psychologists to advise parents about their children’s development. Boris is the father of 9 month old Emily. Boris had noticed that recently when Emily gets distressed she only accepts comfort from her mother. This upsets him and leaves him feeling unimportant as a parent. Referring to research into the role of fathers what could you tell Boris about his role in Emily’s developing attachment to show him he is needed!

Recap Research shows that mothers are preferred when children are distressed but that Boris will be preferred when Emily is in a positive emotional state Emily will find interactions with Boris more exciting and pleasurable than with her mother. The quality of Boris’s play with Emily will be important in determining her attachment in her teens. Research has shown that if Boris was given the opportunity to be Emily’s primary care-giver that he would be able to be as sensitive as Emily’s mother and she would be as attached to him (Field 1978) (Lamb 1987). Emily is 9 months old so according to Schaffer’s stages has formed a specific attachment to her mother (discriminate stage) and so this would explain her wanting her mother when distressed. She is at the age where she will be forming multiple attachments (29% within a month of forming a specific attachment, 78% of children by a year old) so Emily can still be attached to Boris it will just be in a different way. Rutter says that all attachments are equal and will be of equal importance in later life so Boris’s attachment with Emily is just as important

Attachment and Animal Studies Decide in pairs which study you will have: Lorenz Harlow Read through the study Summarise it in a series of pictures (no more than 5) YOU CANNOT USE WORDS! You will then need to describe it to your partner using the pictures and without reference to the booklet.

Animal Studies HARLOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5PIcmVao64 LORENZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgCTPBU69Sw

Recap Animal Studies Describe in detail the method of Lorenz’s study. What happened when the two groups were mixed up? What period of time was the critical period and what happened if this was not met? What happened later on with the Goslings who had imprinted on humans. Describe Harlow’s research Which mother did the monkeys prefer? What consequences were found for the monkey’s in Harlow’s research into adulthood?

Evaluation of Animal Studies Theoretical value-have had a profound effect on our understanding of attachment. Difference in nature and complexity of bond-the bonds between mammals and their infants are more complex than animal bonds Problems of extrapolation in human infants- can we generalise to humans? Ethical issues Imprinting is not always permanent Practical applications Supports evolutionary theory of attachment. MATCH THE STATEMENTS TO THE PARAGRAHPS CAN YOU EXPAND EACH POINT USING P-E-S