Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow
Lorenz and Harlow used animals to study how young creatures form close bonds. Their findings helped psychologists understand what drives attachment in humans.
Real World
Harlow's infant rhesus monkeys clung to the soft cloth 'mother' for up to 22 hours a day and ran to it when frightened by a mechanical toy, even though only the wire 'mother' dispensed milk — directly contradicting learning theory's claim that attachment is based on feeding.
Exam Focus
When evaluating, always address the ethical issues and the problem of generalising from animal behaviour to human attachment.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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