Harlows Monkeys Flashcards
What was the method for Harlows Animal testing, experiment 1?
Harlow constructed two surrogate mothers, one harsh ‘wire mother’ and second soft ‘towelling mother.’ A sample of baby rhesus monkeys were used across the four caged conditions:
‘Wire mother’ dispensing milk and ‘towelling mother’
with no milk.
‘Wire mother’ with no milk and ‘towelling mother’ dispensing milk.
‘Wire mother’ dispensing milk
‘Towelling mother’ dispensing milk
The amount of time the baby rhesus monkey spent with each mother was recorded. To test for mother preference during periods of stress, the monkey’s were startled with a loud noise and their responses recorded.
What was the results for Harlows Animal testing, experiment 1?
When given a choice of surrogate mother, the
monkeys preferred to make contact with the
‘towelling mother’ – irrespective of whether it
dispensed milk.
They would stretch across to the ‘wire mother’ for
food whilst clutching onto the ‘towelling mother’ for
comfort.
In the ‘wire mother’ only condition, the baby
monkeys showed signs of stress such as diarrhoea.
When startled by the loud noise, the baby monkeys
would cling to the ‘towelling mother’
What was the conclusions for Harlow’s Animal testing, experiment 1?
Harlow concluded that baby rhesus monkeys have an innate drive to seek contact comfort from their parent, suggesting that attachment is formed through an emotional need for security rather than food (in contrast to the learning theory explanation).
This contact comfort provided by the mother is associated by a higher willingness to explore their surroundings and lower levels of stress.
What was the method for Harlow’s Animal testing, experiment 2?
Harlow (1958) modified his experiment and
separated the infants into two groups: the
towelling mother which provided no food, or the
wire mother which did.
All the monkeys drank equal amounts and grew
physically at the same rate. But the similarities
ended there. Monkeys who had soft, tactile contact
with their towelling mothers behaved quite differently
than monkeys whose mothers were made out of
hard wire.
What was the results for Harlow’s Animal testing, experiment 2?
The behavioural differences that Harlow observed
between the monkeys who had grown up with
surrogate mothers and those with normal mothers
were:
They were much more timid.
They didn’t know how to act with other monkeys.
They were easily bullied and wouldn’t stand up for
themselves.
They had difficulty with mating.
The females were inadequate mothers.
What was the conclusions for Harlow’s Animal testing, experiment 2?
Monkeys reared in isolation with the surrogate
mothers all displayed dysfunctional adult
behaviour (maternal deprivation had a permanent
effect).
These behaviours were observed only in the
monkeys who were left with the surrogate mothers
for more than 90 days (critical period).
For those left less than 90 days the effects could be
reversed if placed in a normal environment
What was the impact of Harlow’s research?
Harlow’s research has helped social workers to understand risk factors
in child neglect and abuse such as a lack of comfort (and so intervene to
prevent it).
Using animals to study attachment can benefit children that are most at
risk in society, can also have later economic implications as those children
are more likely to grow up to be productive members of society.
What was the benefit of Harlow’s research?
It could be argued that the benefits of the research outweigh the costs (the
suffering of the animals). For example, the research influenced the
theoretical work of John Bowlby, the most important psychologist in
attachment theory.
It could also be seen as vital in convincing people about the importance of
emotional care in hospitals, children’s homes, and day care.
What’s a strength of Harlow’s research? (similarities)
P: A strength of Harlow’s research into monkeys, is that they are similar to
humans.
E: Green (1994) states that, on a biological level at least, all mammals
(including rhesus monkeys) have the same brain structure as humans; the
only differences relates to size and the number of connections.
C: Although evidence suggests that monkey’s are clearly much more similar
to humans than Lorenz’s geese, they are not human. Psychologists disagree
on the extent to which studies on non-human primates can be generalised to
humans.
What’s a strength of Harlow’s research? (practical application)
P: A strength of Harlow’s research is that is has good practical application.
E: The insight into attachment from Harlow’s research has had important
applications in a range of practical contexts. For example, it has helped
social workers understand risk factors in child neglect and abuse and so
intervene and prevent it.
C: This also suggests that the 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.
What is a weakness of Harlow’s experiments?
P: A limitation of animal studies is that there are ethical concerns. Harlow
was heavily criticised for the ethics of his research on baby rhesus
monkeys.
E: The use of animals in research can be questioned on ethical grounds. It could be argued that animals have a right not to be researched/ harmed. The pursuit of academic conclusions for human benefits could be seen as
detrimental to non-human species.
C: There is however, the question of whether the insight obtained was
sufficiently important to psychologists’ understanding of attachment that
Harlow was justified in his approach.
