By: Chloe Hromockyj and Dylan Brown

Background Harry Harlow – Experiences as a child and your attachment to your mother influence future abilities to love in life. Discovery that love and affection are needs just as important as hunger and thirst. Rhesus monkeys used, previous studies infant monkeys became very attached to cloth pads

Method cloth mother (contact comfort) wire mother Study 1: 8 monkeys randomly assigned to wire mother group and cloth mother group How much time spent with each mother Study 2: Placed fearful object in all cages See how monkeys with wire and cloth mothers would respond

Method Study 3: (open field test) placing young monkeys in unfamiliar rooms with objects either wire mother, cloth mother or no mother To test how monkeys would adapt and explore with or without mother present Study 4: After 6 months separated monkeys from mothers and then reunited see whether attachment would continue after separation

Results & Conclusion Experiment 1: Monkeys more attached to cloth mother Experiment 2: When frightened, monkeys would run to cloth mother for comfort Experiment 3: Explore but return to mother for a source of security, without mother would cry and suck thumb Experiment 4: Once reunited, rushed to the mother, clung and played but did not explore

Historical Significance Although has been criticized ethically, has been very significant Proven that biological mother isn't the only one who can provide love (adoptive aren't, father, babysitter, etc.) Shows why child abuse victims often still love their abuser Contact comfort above everything else

Controversy & Recent Applications Animal cruelty, monkeys in harmful situations Do humans share the same love processes as monkeys? (Cacioppo & Hawkley, 2003) connection between social isolation and physical health with lonely adults (Feldman & Eidelman, 1998) importance of skin to skin contact in development of premature babies

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