attachment 4 - contact comfort (harlow) Flashcards
why did harlow look at monkeys instead of birds?
as they are linked much closer to humans
what did harlow observe about newborn monkeys that made him start his experiment?
newborns that were kept alone in a cage usually died but if they were given something soft like a blanket they usually survived
how many baby monkeys did harlow use in his experiment?
16
what were the two conditions used in harlow’s study?
two fake mothers that dispensed milk, bare wire or covered in soft material
what did harlow find out about the soft mother?
the monkeys preferred it and sought comfort in it when they were frightened
what does the baby monkeys preferring the soft monkey show about attachment?
this shows that contact comfort was of more importance to the monkeys than food when it came to attachment behaviour
what severe consequences did harlow and his colleagues find out about maternal deprivation having a permanent effect on the baby monkeys?
they found that the monkeys who had the bare wire mother were the most dysfunctional. however the monkeys reared with the soft mother were still not developing normal social behaviour, they were more aggressive and anti social. they also tended to breed less, and when they did reproduce they sometimes attacked or killed their offspring
what did harlow conclude about critical periods from his experiment?
he concluded that there was a critical period for his behaviour - a mother figure had to be introduced to the infant within 90 days for an attachment to form. after this time attachment was impossible and the damage done by early deprivation became irreversible.
how did harlow disprove learning theory (ao3)
harlow showed that attachment does not develop as the result of being fed by the mother, but through contact comfort
what did harlow show was important for later social development including being able to hold down adult relationships and successfully rear children?
having quality early relationships
what is having quality early relationships important for?
later social development including the ability to hold down adult relationships and successfully rear children
explain how the insight into attachment from harlow’s research has had important applications in a range of practical contexts (social workers, captive monkeys)
it has helped social workers understand the risk with child neglect and abuse. these findings are important in the care of captive monkeys, we now understand the importance of proper attachment figures for baby monkeys in zoos and also in breeding programmes in the wild
describe the ethical problems in harlow’s experiment and also a counter argument for them
the monkeys suffered greatly as a result of his procedures. this species is considered similar enough to humans to be able to generalise the findings, which also means their suffering may have been human like. harlow was aware of the distress he was causing. the counter argument could be that the research was sufficiently important to justify the effects
