Harlow

• What was Harlow trying to research?

  The importance of contact comfort
• Describe the procedure of Harlow's research:

  • 16 rhesus monkeys
  • Created two wire model 'mothers' - one bare and one of cloth
  • In condition one milk was dispensed by the plain wire mother
  • In condition two milk was dispensed by cloth covered mother
• What were the findings of Harlow's research?

  • All spent time with cloth covered mother regardless of feeding bottle.
  • only spent short time with wire if it had feeding bottle
  • clung to cloth covered when frightened
  • kept one foot on cloth for reassurance
• What are the conclusions of Harlow's research

  Contact comfort is more important then food
• What were the long lasting affects of the experiment?

  • Maternal Deprivation
  • Monkeys deprived of a real mother did not develop normal social behaviour
  • More aggressive, less sociable, bred less (less skilled)
• The critical period for normal development:

  After 90 days attachments wouldn't form