Animal studies of attachment - Harlow

Question 1

What type of animal was used in Harlow’s study?

Answer 1

16 baby rheesus monkeys

Question 2

What was Harlow comparing?

Answer 2

Attachment of the monkeys with a surrogate wire mother and a surrogate cloth mother to look at the importance of comfort and food in forming attachments

Question 3

What were two conditions of the study?

Answer 3

• The wire mother having milk and the cloth mother not

- The cloth mother having milk and the wire mother not

Question 4

What did Harlow do to the monkeys which is seen as unethical and why?

Answer 4

They scared them to see which type of mother they would go to for comfort

Question 5

What were the findings of the study?

Answer 5

All of the monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother than the wire
If they had to feed from the wire mother they would and then return to the cloth mother
They clung to the cloth mother when they were scared

Question 6

What conclusion did Harlow draw from his findings?

Answer 6

That comfort and contact are most important when forming attachments, and not food.
Believes the need for comfort is innate - survival method due to evolution

Question 7

Are there ethical issues with Harlow’s study?

Answer 7

Scaring the monkeys caused long-lasting psychological damage
Evidence; monkeys struggled to form relationships with peers in later life. The monkeys that went on to have children, were violent towards them

Question 8

Are the findings from Harlow’s study generalisable

Answer 8

No - they are limited in generalisation as it is hard to extrapolate the findings to humans as they are two different species

Question 9

How does the generalisation of Harlow’s study compare to that of Lorenz’?

Answer 9

The findings are more generalisable as humans are more similar to monkeys than geese

Question 10

Why is it an advantage using animals in studies to look at human attachments?

Answer 10

We are able to carry out research which cant be carried out on humans due to ethical concerns