What Harlow’s infamous monkey mother experiments revealed
Love is vital for healthy human development.
You may have heard of Harlow’s research called the wire mother vs. cloth mother study.
Parental affection was treated as an indulgence or even a vice.
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According to many thinkers of the day, affection would only spread diseases and lead to adult psychological problems.
Psychologists were motivated to prove their field as a rigorous science.
Thebehaviorist movementdominated the field of psychology during this time.
This approach urged researchers to study only observable and measurable behaviors.
His work demonstrated the devastating effects of deprivation on young rhesus monkeys.
Harlow demonstrated that healthy childhood development hinges on the love and care parents and other caregivers provide.
At the time, most observations were largely philosophical and anecdotal.
Harlow, however, believed that this behavioral view of mother-child attachments was an inadequate explanation.
The mother-child relationship provides more than just food and protection, Harlow suggested.
One was made of soft terrycloth but provided no food.
The other was made of wire but provided nourishment from an attached baby bottle.
Based on these findings, Harry Harlow concluded that affection was the primary force behind the need for closeness.
Why was the surrogate mother experiment unethical?
Harlow’s monkey mother experiment was unethical because of the treatment of the infant monkeys.
The original monkey mother experiments were unnecessarily cruel.
The infant monkeys were deprived of maternal care and social contact.
The effects of such deprivation proved utterly devastating to the monkeys who were subjected to it.
Such work revealed that affectionate bonds were critical for development.
Harlow utilized a “strange situation” technique similar to the one created byattachmentresearcherMary Ainsworth.
Monkeys who were with their cloth mother would use her as a secure base to explore the room.
When the surrogate mothers were removed from the room, the effects were dramatic.
Harry Harlows experiments offered irrefutable proof that love is vital for normalchildhood development.
Harlow’s work led to acclaim and generated a wealth of research on love, affection, andinterpersonal relationships.
However, his own personal life was marked by conflict.
Colleagues frequently described him as sarcastic, mean-spirited, misanthropic, chauvinistic, and cruel.
He no longer focused on maternal attachment and instead developed an interest in depression and isolation.
Takeaways
Harry Harlow’s work was controversial in his own time and continues to draw criticism today.
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