Harlow

• Harlow wanted to disprove that attachments are formed through food
• Harlow separated 8 rhesus monkeys from their mothers and observed them for 165 days
• Harlow created two fake mothers for the monkeys:

  wire mother - providing food

  cloth mother providing comfort
• Harlow measured the time the monkeys spent with each mother and found that all monkeys spent up to 22 hours a day with the cloth mother

  They clung to the cloth mother when they were frightened - contact comfort

  They were more willing to explore when the cloth mother was present - secure base

  They have a 90 day critical period
• AO3. Harlow’s research has had a positive impact on zoos. Harlow revealed the importance of interaction on an animal’s development and social ability. This has improved animal facilities. This shows that although Harlow’s research was unethical as animals cannot consent, it had positive effects and found things that would have otherwise not be known.
• AO3. Animals are different to monkeys. Harlow’s findings may not be applicable to humans as human behaviour is more complex. This means that findings may not be completely comparable. However, on a biological basis there are not many differences. All mammals have the same neural structure, but the size and number of connections is different.