what is the 1st weakness of learning theory?
-Animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment
-Harlow showed monkey would rather spend more time with surrogate monkey covered in cloth rather than one that provided food
However animals do not reflect humans
what is the 2nd weakness of learning theory?
- there is counter evidence from human research
- Schaffer and Emerson study shows that over half of the children developed a primary attachment to their biological mothers even though other careers did most of the feeding.
- suggests LT overestimates the role f food in attachment
what is the 3rd weakness of learning theory?
-It is reductionist
it is supporting a nurture based view of behaviour
-it is reducing complex behaviour
what is the weakness of Lorenz’s study?
human attachment different to animals
- human mums more emotional in attachment
- it may not be appropriate to generalise Lorenz’ concept of imprinting in animals to attachment in humans
- however it contributed to our understanding of imprinting during critical period for animals
what is the 1st strength of Lorenz’s study?
supported by further studies investigating the concept of imprinting
- Guiton(1966) found yellow chicks imprinted on yellow washing up gloves tried to mate w them as adults
- suggests animals born w an innate mechanism to imprint on a moving object during critical period
- however chicks learned to mate with their own kind suggesting the effects of imprinting are not as long-lasting as Lorenz believed
what is the 2nd strength of Lorenz’s study?
provides support for Bowlby that attachment is innate
- goslings attached to Lorenz without the reward for food (evidence which backs evolutionary theory)
- therefore study has real world application as it can support a fundamental theory
what is the 1st weakness of Harlow’s research?
we can’t completely generalise Harlow’s findings from monkeys to humans
- humans have a language development that influences their attachment
- suggests findings need to be considered with caution when they are being applied to human behaviour
what is the 2nd weakness of Harlow’s research?
Harlow faced severe criticism for ethics of his research
- the monkeys experience emotion and anxiety
- unethical research had potential to ruin psychology
what is the strength of Harlow’s research?
has important practical applications
- helped us understand the negative effects of isolation and neglect and help social workers recognise these behaviours
- therefore it is incredibly useful for society
1st strength of caregiver infants interactions
The research is very well-controlled and ‘captures’ micro-sequences of interaction.
possible as the infants do not respond to social sensitivity or demand characteristics.
We know therefore we are measuring real behaviour which increases the internal validity of results.
weakness of caregiver infants interactions
Research has practical issues.
-Babies are often asleep or being fed. This means it can be hard to get reliable results due to a lack of consistency in the observations.
2nd strength of caregiver infants interactions
The research has a huge real world application to understanding the importance of care-giver infant interaction.
-can help parents understand the importance of social interaction. Nevertheless this does raise the issue of social sensitivity as it may create a stigma for working parents.
