Harlow (1959) - Animal studies of attachment
AS- A2/A-Level
- Created by: usharif
- Created on: 24-03-18 18:04
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- Harlow (1959)
- AIM
- To find out whether food or contact is more important when forming an infant-mother attachment
- PROCEDURE
- 2 wire mothers - different heads
- 1 wire mother was wrapped in soft cloth
- 8 infant-rhesus monkeys studied for 165 days
- 4 monkeys - milk bottle & cloth covered mother
- 4 monkeys - milk bottle + wire mother
- Time measurements were made
- The amount of time each infant spent with 2 different 'mothers'
- Monkeys response when frightened by a mechanical teddy bear was also observed
- 2 wire mothers - different heads
- FINDINGS
- monkeys clung to the cloth mother
- When frightened
- when introduced to a new toy - kept one foot on the cloth mother for reassurance
- When frightened
- All 8 monkeys spent most of their time with the cloth-covered mother
- only spent a short time getting milk and then returned to the cloth-covered mother
- Those monkeys who were fed by the wire mother
- monkeys clung to the cloth mother
- CONCLUSION
- Infants do not develop an attachment to the person who feeds them but to the person offering contact comfort
- 'Contact comfort; is more important than feeding in formation of an attachment (between an infant monkey and its monkey)
- AIM
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