**L9 - Harlow Flashcards
what did HARRY HARLOW do? (PROCEDURE) - PT 1
HARLOW created TWO WIRE ‘MOTHERS’ each with a DIFFERENT HEAD.
One wire mother was WRAPPED IN A SOFT CLOTH. EIGHT INFANT RHESUS MONKEYS were SEPARATED FROM THEIR MOTHER AT BIRTH and were STUDIED FOR A PERIOD OF 165 DAYS.
They were placed in a CAGE with the TWO WIRE MOTHERS. FOUR of the monkeys RECEIVED MILK from the CLOTH MOTHER, the OTHER FOUR RECEIVED MILK FROM THE EXPOSED WIRE MOTHER.
what did HARRY HARLOW do? (PROCEDURE) - PT 2
During the 165 days, the TIME THAT THE MONKEYS SPENT WITH EACH OF THE TWO MOTHERS WAS OBSERVED.
Observations were made of the MONKEY’S RESPONSES to being FRIGHTENED BY A MECHANICAL TEDDY BEAR, and how they COPED WITH EXPLORING A NEW ROOM FULL OF UNFAMILIAR TOYS
what were the FINDINGS of HARLOW’S experiment on RHESUS MONKEYS? - PT 1
ALL EIGHT MONKEYS spent MOST OF THEIR TIME on the SOFT CLOTH MOTHER, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THIS MOTHER WAS THE ONE WITH THE FEEDING BOTTLE OR NOT.
Those monkeys who were FED BY THE EXPOSED WIRE MOTHER ONLY STAYED ON IT LONG ENOUGH TO GET MILK and then RETURNED TO THE SOFT CLOTH MOTHER.
what were the FINDINGS of HARLOW’S experiment on RHESUS MONKEYS? - PT 2
when FRIGHTENED, ALL MONKEYS CLUNG TO THE SOFT CLOTH MOTHER and WHEN PLAYING WITH NEW OBJECTS the monkeys KEPT ONE FOOT ON THE SOFT CLOTH MOTHER.
When PLACED IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT, they were NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO EXPLORE THE ROOM UNLESS THE SOFT CLOTH MOTHER WAS WITH THEM
what were the LONG TERM EFFECTS of HARLOW’S EXPERIMENT on the RHESUS MONKEYS? - PT 1
HARLOW CONTINUED TO STUDY the EIGHT RHESUS MONKEYS as they grew up.
The monkeys DEVELOPED ABNORMALLY, they FROZE or FLED when APPROACHED BY OTHER MONKEYS.
They DID NOT SHOW NORMAL MATING BEHAVIOUR and DID NOT CRADLE THEIR OWN BABIES
what were the LONG TERM EFFECTS of HARLOW’S EXPERIMENT on the RHESUS MONKEYS? - PT 2
If the monkeys SPENT MORE TIME with OTHER MONKEYS then they COULD RECOVER but ONLY IF THIS HAPPENED BEFORE THEY WERE 3 MONTHS OLD.
Having MORE THAN THREE MONTHS WITH A WIRE MOTHER was something they COULD NOT RECOVER FROM
+ SCHAFFER and EMERSON (EVALUATION OF HARLOW)
+ SCHAFFER and EMERSON also found that FOOD IS NOT NECESSARY FOR ATTACHMENT TO FORM.
They discovered that BABIES ARE OFTEN ATTACHED TO PEOPLE WHO PLAY WITH THEM, rather than people who FEED THEM.
IN 39% OF CASES even though the MOTHER WAS THE ONE WHO FED THE BABY, the baby was MORE ATTACHED TO SOMEONE ELSE
- UNETHICAL (EVALUATION OF HARLOW)
- this study could be CONSIDERED TO BE UNETHICAL. The MONKEYS were REMOVED FROM THEIR MOTHERS, which would have been TRAUMATIC, and they were then deliberately SCARED to see how they would react
This led to LONG TERM EMOTIONAL HARM, when these monkeys were OLDER and ENCOUNTERED OTHER MONKEYS, they either FROZE or FLED. They also had DIFFICULTY CARING FOR THEIR OWN YOUNG (didnt cradle them) as they had NOT BEEN CARED FOR THEMSELVES
- EXTRAPOLATION (EVALUATION OF HARLOW)
- it is PROBLEMATIC to EXTRAPOLATE the FINDINGS from this study to ATTACHMENT IN HUMAN INFANTS.
Humans are PHYSIOLOGICALLY VERY DIFFERENT from MONKEYS AS WELL AS HAVING SEVERAL OTHER INFLUENCES that MONKEYS DO NOT HAVE, such as CULTURE, SOCIETY, PEERS, UPBRINGING etc.
- COMPLEXITY OF ATTACHMENTS (EVALUATION OF HARLOW)
- the ATTACHMENT BOND between HUMAN INFANTS and their ATTACHMENT FIGURES is FAR MORE COMPLEX than it is in MONKEYS.
For instance, there are SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF ATTACHMENT STYLES that HUMAN INFANTS can have (e.g SECURE, AVOIDANT, RESISTANT)
