Harlow animal attachment study

Harlow’s aim

investigate and compare the role of feeding vs contact comfort for the development of attachment in baby rhesus monkeys

Harlow’s procedure

• controlled environment, baby rhesus monkeys raised with 2 surrogate mothers

  • plain wire mother dispensing food

  • cloth mother with no food

• recorded time spent with each mother

• observed behaviour when frightened by noisy mechanical bear, when placed in unfamiliar room, recording proximity seeking and willingness to explore

harlow findings

• spent more time with cloth mother (18 hours per day)

• 1 hr with wire mother

• when frightened ran to cloth mother for comfort, explored confidently if cloth mother present, returned to her when anxious. if only wire mother they were anxious

• critical period of 90 days for attachment to develop

Harlow long term findings

• monkey’s raised with only wire mother were most dysfunctional

• raised with cloth mother had less problems but abnormal social development:

  • more aggressive, less sociable

  • bred less often

  • mothers- neglected/attacked young

harlow conclusion

• comfort and security are primary needs

• bond between infant + caregiver based on emotional security - provided by cnontact comfort

strength of harlow’s research- theoretical value

• findings first to highlight role of contact comfort in attachment

• overturned behaviourist view that babies become attached to who feeds them

• showed importance of quality early relationships for later social development

• important research in understanding how attachment works

strength- practical value

• influenced changes in adoption/childcare policies- emphasised importance of early bonding

• helped social workers/ psychologists understand risks of lack of bonding

• improved how we care for monkeys in captivity- recognise needs for attachment figures

weakness- ethical issues

• controversial due to extreme distress inflicted on monkeys- suffered as babies, difficulties forming relationships later in life

• sever harm cannot be justified

• guidelines for more humane research developed with in response to harlow’s work

• counter: benefits justify harm caused- positive impact on improving human and animal lives

weakness- applicability to human attachment

• unlike Lorenz, Harlow’s findings more readily generalised to humans due to similarity between monkeys and humans

• theoretical and practical value of the research comes from generalising to humans

• human brain, behaviour and society more complex than monkeys- cautious generalising monkey attachment to human bonding