Harlow's Monkeys
By applebed
Harry Harlow, in his well-known 1958 experiment, studied attachment in rhesus monkeys. He took them away from their natural mothers and offered them two alternative surrogates; a 'mother' made of wire and a milk bottle, and a 'mother' with a soft cover and no bottle.
Harlow found that the orphaned monkeys clung to the cloth 'mothers' even though they did not provide nourishment; importantly, they provided comfort.
He also found that these monkeys grew up to be severely madadjusted and totally unable to interact with other monkeys. If they had offspring via artifical insemination, they neglected or killed them.
Later, Harlow conducted other experiments using an abusive variation on the cloth mother dubbed the 'Iron Maiden,' a forced-mating device called the 'Rape Rack' and an isolation chamber known as the 'Pit of Despair.'
Harlow found that the orphaned monkeys clung to the cloth 'mothers' even though they did not provide nourishment; importantly, they provided comfort.
He also found that these monkeys grew up to be severely madadjusted and totally unable to interact with other monkeys. If they had offspring via artifical insemination, they neglected or killed them.
Later, Harlow conducted other experiments using an abusive variation on the cloth mother dubbed the 'Iron Maiden,' a forced-mating device called the 'Rape Rack' and an isolation chamber known as the 'Pit of Despair.'
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