Schaffer and Emerson AO3
Cultural Bias
● All 60 ppts sampled for the study were of a white, working class background
● This study is not representative of attachment globally.
Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment are culturally biassed,
Point: There is cultural bias in research about the stages of attachment.
Evidence: For instance, in Schaffer and Emerson’s study, all 60 participants sampled were of
a white working class background, and none from other ethnic minorities.
Issue and debate: Psychologists conduct research in a setting applicable to one culture and
attempt to generalise their findings cross-culturally, this is known as imposed etic.
Explain
Animal studies of attachment Lorenz (1935) and Harlow (1959)
● Imprinting: an innate readiness to develop a strong bond with their mother which
takes place during the first few hours after birth/hatching.
● If it doesn't happen at this time, it probably doesn't happen.
● Could be susceptible to maternal deprivation
Lorenz 1935
● Lorenz randomly divided geese eggs
● Half of the eggs were hatched with the mother goose in their natural environment.
● The other half hatched in an incubator where the first moving object they saw was
Lorenz.
● The incubator group followed lorenz everywhere.
● The control group who hatched in the presence of their mother, followed her.
● When the two groups were mixed up the control group continued to follow their
mother, and the experimental group followed Lorenz.
● This phenomenon is called imprinting.
Critical period
● Lorenz found imprinting restricted to a very definite period of the young animal’s life-
called a critical period (e.g a few hours after hatching).
● If a young animal is not exposed to a moving object during this early critical period
the animal will not imprint.
Effects of imprinting
● The process is irreversible and long lasting
● Early imprinting has an effect on later mate preference, called sexual imprinting.
● Animals will choose to mate with the same kind of species they have imprinted to.
● Lorenz (1952): the first moving objects a peacock saw after hatching were giant
tortoises. As an adult, the peacock was only interested in giant tortoises. This meant
it had undergone sexual imprinting.
Cultural Bias
● All 60 ppts sampled for the study were of a white, working class background
● This study is not representative of attachment globally.
Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment are culturally biassed,
Point: There is cultural bias in research about the stages of attachment.
Evidence: For instance, in Schaffer and Emerson’s study, all 60 participants sampled were of
a white working class background, and none from other ethnic minorities.
Issue and debate: Psychologists conduct research in a setting applicable to one culture and
attempt to generalise their findings cross-culturally, this is known as imposed etic.
Explain
Animal studies of attachment Lorenz (1935) and Harlow (1959)
● Imprinting: an innate readiness to develop a strong bond with their mother which
takes place during the first few hours after birth/hatching.
● If it doesn't happen at this time, it probably doesn't happen.
● Could be susceptible to maternal deprivation
Lorenz 1935
● Lorenz randomly divided geese eggs
● Half of the eggs were hatched with the mother goose in their natural environment.
● The other half hatched in an incubator where the first moving object they saw was
Lorenz.
● The incubator group followed lorenz everywhere.
● The control group who hatched in the presence of their mother, followed her.
● When the two groups were mixed up the control group continued to follow their
mother, and the experimental group followed Lorenz.
● This phenomenon is called imprinting.
Critical period
● Lorenz found imprinting restricted to a very definite period of the young animal’s life-
called a critical period (e.g a few hours after hatching).
● If a young animal is not exposed to a moving object during this early critical period
the animal will not imprint.
Effects of imprinting
● The process is irreversible and long lasting
● Early imprinting has an effect on later mate preference, called sexual imprinting.
● Animals will choose to mate with the same kind of species they have imprinted to.
● Lorenz (1952): the first moving objects a peacock saw after hatching were giant
tortoises. As an adult, the peacock was only interested in giant tortoises. This meant
it had undergone sexual imprinting.
