Harlow: Animal Studies

Question 1

When was Harlow’s study carried out?

Answer 1

1959

Question 2

What was the aim of Harlow’s study?

Answer 2

To examine the extent to which contact comfort and food influences attachment behaviour in baby rhesus monkeys

Question 3

What was the method of Harlow’s study?

Answer 3

• Harlow constructed 2 surrogate mothers: a ‘wire mother’ and a soft ‘towelling mother’
• 16 baby rhesus monkeys were placed across 4 aged conditions
  1. Wire mother dispensing milk, towelling mother with no milk
  2. Wire mother with no milk, towelling mother dispensing milk
  3. Wire mother dispensing milk
  4. Towelling mother dispensing milk
• The amount of time each monkey spent with each mother and amount of time they spent feeding was recorded
• A loud noise was also activated to test for mother preference during periods of stress
• A larger cage was used in some conditions to measure degree of exploration

Question 4

What were the results of Harlow’s study?

Answer 4

• When monkeys were given a choice, they preferred to make contact with the towelling mother, regardless of whether she dispensed milk
• The baby monkeys with only the wire mother showed signs of stress
• When startled by the loud noise, monkeys would always cling to the towelling mother
• When given large cage conditions, greater exploration was found for the monkeys with the towelling mother