harlow - case study 4

Question 1

what was the aim of Harlow’s monkey experiment

Answer 1

to investigate whether contact comfort or the provision of food is more important when forming infant-mother attachment in rhesus monkeys

Question 2

who were the participants of harlow’s experiment

Answer 2

8 newborn Rhesus monkeys

Question 3

what were the 2 groups in harlows experiment

Answer 3

monkeys with surrogate mother and monkeys with normal mothers

Question 4

what year did Harlow do his monkey experiment

Answer 4

1958

Question 5

independent variable of harlow’s experiment

Answer 5

whether the milk bottle was attached to the cloth or wire meshed surrogate

Question 6

dependant variable of harlow’s experiment

Answer 6

the time spent on the surrogates

Question 7

what were the results of harlow’s experiment

Answer 7

monkeys spent more time feeding on the cloth mother by a significant amount

Question 8

why did harlow use Rhesus monkeys

Answer 8

because of their similar DNA to humans

Question 9

what was the method of harlow’s experiment

Answer 9

• the newborn monkeys were immediately separated from their mothers
• before the experiment began the monkeys were placed into an individual cages with a cloth blanket
• next they put the monkeys in a controlled and isolated room that contained the 2 artificial monkeys: the cloth mother and the wire mother

Question 10

what was the monkey’s reaction to their cloth blanket being taken and washed and why was this interesting

Answer 10

they showed intense emotional distress and this was curious because it contradicted the idea attachment was because of food

Question 11

how were the 2 surrogate mothers different in harlow’s experiment

Answer 11

cloth mother: is made out of the cloth the monkey shad in their cages

wire mother: is made out of just wires with a milk bottle attached.

Question 12

key findings in harlow’s experiment

Answer 12

there were many behavioural differences between the experiment and control groups

Question 13

what were the behavioural differences between the control and experimental group in harlow’s experiment

Answer 13

• they were much more timid
  -they didn’t know how to interact with other monkeys
• they were easily bullies and wouldn’t stand up for themselves
• they had difficulty mating
• the females were inadequate mothers

Question 14

in harlow’s experiment what was the difference between being in the experiment for 90 or less

Answer 14

the emotionally damaging behaviours can be reversed if contact is made before the end of the critical period (90 days )

Question 15

what were the results of harlow’s experiment

Answer 15

• at any other time than hunger the monkeys clung to their cloth mother
• when experimenters blared loud sounds the monkeys ran straight to their cloth mother for comfort
• monkeys who did not form attachment became aggressive and unsociable

Question 16

contribution to psychology

Answer 16

• hows finding helped shift the belief that infant attachments is not from breastfeeding and is actually contact comfort has a more important role
• fathers are now seen as equally capable in looking after children at home rather than the mothers
• it is vital that all of the children’s needs are met not just the physical ones

Question 17

limitations of harlow’s monkey experiment

Answer 17

• ethics: the monkeys experienced psychological harm by being deprived of mothers and placed in stressful situations
• as the researchers used animal subjects, the results are har to generalise to the human population