Evaluation Of The Learning Theory Flashcards
What was the aim of Harlow and Harlow research?
To test whether monkeys prefer the activity of feeding to the comfort of contact
Why has the learning theory gotten so little support?
Because there are lots of research that contradict it like the research on the rhesus monkeys and the research done by Schaffer and Emerson
What was the participants in the Harlow and Harlow research?
Infant rhesus monkeys
What did Harlow and Harlow do?
They gave the monkeys two substitute mothers-one wire monkey and one cloth monkey. In some conditions the wire monkey supplied the milk and in others the cloth monkey supplied the milk. Then they would scare the monkeys with a teddy bear drummer to see which monkey they went to for comfort
What were the results of the Harlow and Harlow research?
The monkeys always went to the cloth one and only used wire mum for milk when they had to. They also ran to the cloth monkey when scared
What did Harlow and Harlow conclude?
That monkeys have a natural need for comfort but the cloth monkey didn’t supply enough stimulation for healthy development. As adults the monkeys found it difficult to mate and parent
What did Schaffer and Emerson do?
Did observations and interviews on families to see who children were attached to
What were the results from Schaffer and Emerson’s research?
Less than half of the children had their primary attachment with the person who feeds them and children had multiple attachments. This suggests that attachments aren’t formed through associating people with food
