Animal studied of Attachment- Harlow (1959) Flashcards
What was Harlow’s aim?
to investigate if attachment is based on the feeding bond between mother and infant as predicted by the learning theory (was it the prime determinant)
What was Harlow’s procedure?
-Use lab experiment in order to rear baby monkeys
-spilt into two groups (independent groups design)
(immediately after birth)
What were Harlow’s 2 conditions? (procedure)
one- cloth mother provided milk, wire monkey did not
-two- wire monkey provided milk and cloth monkey did not
How long were the monkey’s studied? (procedure)
-Period of 165 days
What took place during the 165 days? (procedure)
-measurements of amount of time spent with 2 different mother ls were made
-observations of monkey infants responses when frightened were made (e.g. by mechanical teddy)
How were the long term effects for n sociability and relationships with offspring recorded? (procedure)
-Followed monkeys into adulthood
What are then dependent variables?
-Amount of time spent with two different mothers
-Monkeys responses when frightened (e.g. by the mechanical teddy)
What were the findings on sociability and relationship to offspring?
-Baby monkeys spent most time with cloth monkey whether or not this mum had the feeding bottle
-Monkeys fed by wire only spent a short amount of times getting milk then returning to cloth mother
What did the monkeys do when frightened? findings (sociability to offspring)
Clung to the cloth covered monkey
what did the monkeys do when playing with new objects? (findings- sociability and relationship to offspring)
monkeys often kept one foot on the cloth covered mother, seemingly for reassurance
What were the long term effects of the study?
-found that motherless monkeys developed abnormally into adulthood
-more aggressive and less sociaable than other monkeys, bred less often that is typical for monkeys
-as mothers some of the deprived monkeys neglected their young and others attacked and sometimes killed their kids
How were the motherless monkeys less sociable the other monkeys (long term effects)
they froze or fled when approached by other monkeys
What were the findings for the critical period?
-Like lorenz
-found critical period for these effects- mother figure had to be introduced within 90 days for an attachment to form
-After this time attachment=impossible and damaged done by early deprivation became irreversible (hadn’t created a positive working model)
what was Harlow‘s conclusions?
-Showed that attachment does not develop as a result of being fed by a mother figure but also as a result of contact comfort
-also showed the importance of the quality of relationships for later social development including adult relationships and rearing children
