The Affectional System in Monkeys Assertion: Social isolation will affect the normal development of infant behavior. The initial studies by Harlow were purely accidental.

Normal monkey stages of play Inanimate Object Play Reflex stage Exploratory stage Object utilization stage Object aggressive stage (Rough and Tumble Play

Social Isolation

The effect of Social Isolation during infancy

The initial Play Pen

Stage of Age Mate Affection Reflex stage of Peer Affection: noise, sound and movements of age mates attracts the subject in question

Three cloth mother raised infants, just leaving reflex stage Three cloth mother raised infants, just leaving reflex stage. Note the close contact

Two playmates doing oral manipulation

Object Utilization Stage

Rough and Tumble Play

Playpen 2

Mother vs. Surrogate Rough and Tumble Play

Frequency of R & T Ply by infants with real mothers

Approach-Withdrawl Play

Approach-Withdrawal Play

Aggressive Play Conspecific Aggresive Play Interspecies aggretion Both require the beginning of dominance status

Infant Affectional stages Reflex stage Comfort and Attachment Security Separation

Object Exploration vs. Social Exploration Over days

Time spent on Terry-cloth mother vs. wire-mother

Fear in an open field – no cloth-mother available

Open field test with and without surrogate mother monkey

Open field, cloth-mother available

Fear reduced, begin to explore (keeping contact with cloth mother)

Curiosity, open field cloth-mother

Strong preference for cloth mother in both age groups

When afraid run to the cloth-mother monkey

Maternal Affectional system Attachment and Protection Transitional and Ambivalence Maternal Separation or Rejection

Socially Deprived Rhesus Monkey Mother

Mal Mothering in a Socially Deprived Rhesus Monkey

Normal (A,B) and Abnormal (C,D) male sex Behavior

Prim’s problems with Harlow’ Analysis 1) The need for a concept of “critical period” for social learning, vis-a-vi the lack of the concept for social learning

Enriched experience vs deprivation experience The only learning deficit shown by social isolates is in oddity learning, not in two object discrimination learning. Enriched experience in rats have shown clear brain enhancement in growth of glial cells

Is learning all the same How does social isolation harm the animals ability to for sex partners in the face of the fact that the isolate is not harmed for two objects discrimination learning

Failure to learn in the presence of an aversive state of affairs. Given reinforcement theory of behavioral control how is it that the rhesus monkey can not adapt his sex behavior after repeated failures.