Harlow

Question 1

Strength: practical applications

Answer 1

Principles of research that contact comfort is most important in formation of attachments, used in real world to emphasis child rearing needs, go beyond caring for a child’s physical needs, this can be used by professionals, social workers and clinical staff, to identify infants at risk of a lack of bonding experience, intervene, important part of applied psychology

Question 2

Weakness: animal bias

Answer 2

Used rhesus monkeys, human attachment behaviour more complex as human emotions are more sophisticated towards offspring than animals, issues with extrapolating the findings

Question 3

Weakness: ethical issues

Answer 3

Harm inflicted on the monkeys, monkeys suffered greatly as a result of Harlow’s procedures, were frightened, had emotional/ social issues in later life and sometimes died, limits Harlow’s research