Lesson 4.1.3.1

4.1.3.1 Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 1

20 questions

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Lesson 4.1.3.1, Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 1: Introductory topics in Psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which species did Lorenz use in his research on imprinting?

    • Greylag geese
    • Domestic dogs
    • Rhesus monkeys
    • Laboratory rats

  2. What is imprinting, as described in Lorenz's research?

    • A process in which young animals learn to avoid unfamiliar objects through punishment
    • A process in which a mother teaches her young where to find food
    • A rapid, innate form of learning in which young animals form a bond with the first moving object they see
    • A slow learned process in which young animals copy their mothers' feeding habits

  3. In Lorenz's research, what did goslings hatched in an incubator follow after hatching?

    • Their biological mother, who was in the same enclosure
    • Lorenz himself, the first moving object they saw
    • Whichever bird was nearest to them at feeding time
    • A stationary red object placed near the nest

  4. Why is the critical period important in Lorenz's account of imprinting?

    • Imprinting depends entirely on the young animal being shown food
    • Imprinting only happens when the mother is visible to the young
    • Imprinting can happen at any age provided the young animal is fed by its parent
    • Imprinting only occurs during a short early window, and a bond formed then is very hard to reverse

  5. Which species was used in Harlow's studies of surrogate mothers?

    • Chimpanzees
    • Greylag geese
    • Laboratory rats
    • Rhesus monkeys

  6. In Harlow's study, which feature did infant monkeys prefer in a surrogate mother?

    • The wire surrogate, which provided milk on every visit and was the source of all feeding for the infant monkeys
    • The soft cloth-covered surrogate, which provided comfort even though it gave no food
    • A wooden surrogate with no covering and no milk, which was the least preferred of all three surrogates in the study
    • Whichever surrogate was painted the brightest colour, since the infants were attracted to the strongest visual stimulus

  7. What did Harlow's findings suggest about the basis of attachment?

    • Contact comfort is more important than feeding in forming an attachment
    • Attachment only forms once the infant can walk
    • Feeding by the mother is the only basis of attachment
    • Attachment is determined entirely by genes present at birth

  8. Which conclusion about Harlow's surrogate conditions is best supported?

    • Infant monkeys spent equal time on both surrogates regardless of comfort
    • Infant monkeys spent much more time with the cloth surrogate and fed from the wire surrogate only briefly
    • Infant monkeys spent most of their time on the wire surrogate because it offered milk
    • Infant monkeys avoided both surrogates when they were frightened

  9. Which statement about the animal studies by Lorenz and Harlow is accurate?

    • Both suggest that some aspects of early attachment may be biologically based, but both used non-human animals
    • Both show that attachment is learned only through feeding, with comfort and warmth playing no part in forming the bond
    • Both prove that attachment in humans is identical to attachment in animals, so the findings can be applied directly to all infants
    • Both show that human infants imprint on any moving object, which means that early bonds form without any care from others

  10. Which is a limitation of using animal studies such as those by Lorenz and Harlow to explain human attachment?

    • Animal studies cannot measure any behaviour at all
    • Animal studies only use monkeys, so they cannot be compared with other studies
    • Animal studies are cheaper, so their results are less reliable
    • Human development is longer and more complex, so the results may not generalise to people

  11. A chick is raised with a moving toy in the first hours after hatching and follows it everywhere. Which concept best explains this?

    • Contact comfort provided by a soft surface
    • Classical conditioning of following behaviour through food
    • Social learning through observing a parent
    • Imprinting during a critical period

  12. Which finding would most challenge the claim that imprinting can only occur during a critical period?

    • Birds that were not exposed to any object did not follow anything, which shows that following can never develop without a parent
    • Birds first exposed to a moving object well after hatching still formed a following response
    • Birds that imprinted early continued to follow the same object for life, even when a new and more attractive object was introduced
    • Birds that imprinted on a decoy followed the decoy consistently, which shows that the decoy must look like the mother bird

  13. Which measure in Harlow's study was used to show the strength of the infant's attachment?

    • The number of infants that became ill in the first week
    • The amount of time infants spent clinging to each surrogate
    • The number of times infants were fed from the wire surrogate
    • The speed at which infants learned to press a lever

  14. Which criticism of Lorenz's imprinting research is most valid?

    • The findings were replicated with thousands of human participants
    • The findings were based on human infants in a clinical setting
    • The findings are based on a limited range of species
    • The findings show that imprinting can be reversed in every species

  15. A young animal forms a strong bond only during a short window soon after birth. Which concept does this most directly support?

    • A critical period in early development
    • An internal working model formed in adulthood
    • The continuity hypothesis of adult relationships
    • Vicarious reinforcement from peers

  16. A psychologist claims that the cloth surrogate results show that infants are not motivated only by food. Which result best supports this claim?

    • Infants never showed any preference between the surrogates
    • Infants were equally attached to both surrogates regardless of comfort
    • Infants fed from the wire surrogate and never returned to the cloth surrogate
    • Infants clung to the cloth surrogate for long periods even though it provided no milk

  17. Lorenz's goslings followed the first moving object they saw. Why is this a problem for the idea that attachment is learned only through feeding?

    • Following occurred without any food being given, so feeding cannot be the only cause
    • Following occurred only when food was present, which supports feeding
    • Following occurred only in the presence of the mother, which supports learning
    • Following occurred because the goslings were older than one month

  18. Which ethical concern is most commonly raised about Harlow's research?

    • Infant monkeys were separated from their mothers and caused significant distress
    • Participants were paid too little for their time in the study, which is the main ethical concern for the research in general
    • The research was conducted without any published data, so the results could not be checked by other researchers at the time
    • The monkeys were deceived about the purpose of the study, since the researchers did not explain what the procedures involved

  19. A researcher wants to test whether contact comfort or feeding is more important. Which design would be most informative?

    • Give infants only food from a wire surrogate and count the number of visits they make to it over several weeks in the nursery
    • Compare how quickly infants of different ages learn to walk, and measure the distance they travel in the first few months
    • Ask parents which surrogate their infant prefers and record their answers in a short questionnaire given after each visit
    • Give infants a choice between a soft surrogate with no food and a bare wire surrogate with food, measuring time spent with each

  20. Harlow's monkeys raised with cloth mothers became fearful in new settings but comforted themselves by clinging to the cloth mother. Which conclusion is best supported?

    • Cloth mothers were a source of food, so infants preferred them because feeding was the main reason for visiting the surrogate
    • The monkeys were learning to avoid new objects through punishment, and the cloth mother was a place where pain was removed
    • Monkeys reared with cloth mothers had no emotional responses at all, so their behaviour in new settings was entirely random
    • Contact comfort from an attachment figure gives security that helps infants explore unfamiliar situations

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