Animal studies- Harlow
- Created by: MollyL20
- Created on: 30-10-20 19:26
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- Animal studies- Harlow's research (1958)
- Harlow worked with rhesus monkeys which are much more similar to the birds Lorenz used
- Harlow observed that new-born monkeys kept alone in a bare cage died but that they usually survive if given something soft to cuddle
- Method
- Harlow tested the idea that soft objects serve some of the functions of a mother.
- He reared 16 baby monkeys with 2 wire model mothers. One mother was wire and had milk being dispensed and the other was covered by a soft cloth
- Findings
- It was found that the baby monkeys cuddled the soft object in preference to the wire one and sought comfort from the cloth one when frightened
- Showing that contact comfort was more important to the monkeys than food
- Maternally deprived monkeys as adults
- He followed the monkeys into adulthood to see if the maternal deprivation had a permanent effect, they found severe consequences
- All the monkeys were more aggressive and less sociable. Also, hey bred less often and they were unskilled at mating
- As mothers, some of the deprived monkeys neglected their young and others attacked their children, sometimes even killing them
- The critical period for normal behaviour
- Harlow also concluded that there was a critical period for this behaviour, a mother monkey had to be introduced to the infant monkey within 90 days for an attachment to form
- After this time, attachment was impossible and the damage done by early deprivation became irreversible
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