Harlow's Monkeys (1959)

Harlow's Monkeys (1959)

1. Procedure

   • Harlow created to wire mothers with a different head.
   • One of the wire mothers was wrapped in soft cloth.
   • Eight infant rhesus monkeys were studied for 165 days.
   • Four of the monkey’s milk was on the cloth to the mother and the others were on the wire mother
   • Measurements were made about the amount of time each monkey spent with the mother.
   • Observations were also made of the monkey’s responses when frightened by a teddy bear

2. Findings:

   • All eight monkeys spent the most time with a cloth covered mother with or without the milk.
   • The other monkey children only spent time with the mother when feeding and then went to the cloth mother.
   • They often kept to the cloth covered monkey for reassurance. This shows that infants do not develop attachment to the person that feeds them but to the one offering comfort.
   • Many afterwards was socially abnormal and froze or fled when approached by other monkeys. They could not mate & did not cradle their own children.
   • After six months with the wire mother they did not appear to be able to recover.

3. Evaluation

   • Confounding variable:
     • The two stimulus monkeys varied in more ways than being cloth covered or not. For example one had a different head to the other. This means the study lacks internal validity
   • Generalising animal studies to human behaviour:
     • Humans differ in many ways because their behaviour is governed by conscious decisions. Some human studies mirror animal studies for example Schaffer and Emerson's study. Animals act as a useful pointer
   • Ethics of Harlow's study:
     • The study created long lasting emotional harm and the monkeys found it difficult to form relationships in the future. It could be justified as now we know more about attachment and can offer a better human care