Animal Studies: Harlow

Question 1

Aim?

Answer 1

To demonstrate that infants attachment with mother is based on love and comfort, not good

Question 2

procedure?

Answer 2

Studied 8 monkeys for 165 days.
Created two mothers, a wire one and a cloth one.
The wire mum had food for 4 of the monkeys, the cloth mum had food for the other 4

Question 3

findings?

Answer 3

All 8 monkeys spent most time with cloth mother.

They would only leave to get food from wired mum and bring it to cloth mum.

Question 4

Conclusion?

Answer 4

Infants develop attachment to someone who offers comfort and love rather than food

Question 5

Fear response?

Answer 5

When the monkeys were frightened they Clung to the cloth, proving that they felt comforted by it

Question 6

Long lasting effects on monkeys?

Answer 6

They were sexually and socially abnormal.

Had no instinct to care for children.

Question 7

critical period?

Answer 7

If monkeys returned to normal setting with other monkeys at 3 months old they could recover. If they were with cloth/wire mum until 6months old they could not recover

Question 8

LIMITATION: lack of internal validity

Answer 8

The mothers were not controlled as the cloth mum was purposely made more attractive

Question 9

LIMITATION: animal study

Answer 9

Provide useful pointers but cannot generalise to humans without confirmation

Question 10

LIMITATION: Unethical

Answer 10

Caused psychology harm on monkeys