Harlow's monkeys
- Created by: Georgia
- Created on: 02-05-19 13:39
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- Harlow's monkeys (1959)
- Aim
- To test the learning theory of attachment
- Do monkeys prefer food or comfort?
- Procedure
- Either a wire mother or a cloth mother
- Any amount of time spent with the mother was recorded
- Findings
- Monkeys preferred contact with cloth mother whether or not she produced milk
- When frightened by a loud noise, monkeys clung to the cloth mother
- Monkeys with wire mother had problems mating, were much more timid and were bullied
- Monkeys have an innate need for comfort - attachment concerns emotional security more than food
- Evaluation
- Comparative psychology; animal behaviour cannot be generalised to humans
- Humans are much more complex
- Highly controlled to establish cause and effect
- Unethical to use animals in psychological research and to cause such high amounts of stress
- Practical applications; help to improve emotional care in hospitals and care homes
- Inspired Bowlby's work; showing its long-term importance
- Comparative psychology; animal behaviour cannot be generalised to humans
- Aim
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