AO1 - Harlow's Study

• What was Harry Harlow's aim in his 1959 study?

  To demonstrate attachment is not based on feeding
• What was the procedure used by Harlow in his study?

  • Created two wire mothers with different heads
  • One mother was wrapped in cloth, the other was not
  • For four monkeys, the wire mother provided food
  • Measured time spent with each mother
  • Recorded responses when frightened
• How many monkeys were involved in Harlow's study?

  Four monkeys
• What did Harlow find regarding the time spent with each mother?

  Monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother
• What behavior did monkeys exhibit when frightened?

  They ran to the cloth-covered mother
• What conclusion did Harlow draw from his findings?

  Attachments are formed for contact comfort, not food
• What were the long-lasting effects observed in motherless monkeys?

  • Developed abnormally
  • Socially abnormal: froze or fled from others
  • Sexually abnormal: did not show normal mating behavior
  • Did not cradle their own babies
• What critical period did Harlow identify for forming attachments?

  Within 90 days
• What happened if motherless monkeys spent time with peers before three months old?

  They appeared to recover from abnormality
• What was the outcome if motherless monkeys did not have a mother figure introduced before 90 days?

  The damage was irreversible, no attachment formed
• How many baby monkeys did Harlow separate from their mothers?

  Eight baby monkeys
• What was the environment in which the baby monkeys were raised?

  In isolation in a laboratory
• How were the baby monkeys divided?

  Into two groups of four
• What materials were used to create the surrogate mothers?

  Wire material and soft towel material
• Where was the milk bottle placed for one group of monkeys?

  On the towel mother
• Where was the milk bottle placed for the second group of monkeys?

  On the wire mother
• What method did Harlow use to determine the monkeys' preferences?

  Measured time spent with each mother