AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Harry Frederick Harlow (October 31, 1905 – December 6, 1981) was an American psychologist best known for his maternal-separation, dependency needs, and social isolation experiments on rhesus monkeys, which manifested the importance of caregiving and companionship to social and cognitive development.

Detailed explanation-2: -In contrast, Harlow’s explanation was that attachment develops as a result of the mother providing “tactile comfort, ” suggesting that infants have an innate (biological) need to touch and cling to something for emotional comfort.

Detailed explanation-3: -His work demonstrated the devastating effects of deprivation on young rhesus monkeys. Harlow’s research revealed the importance of a caregiver’s love for healthy childhood development.

Detailed explanation-4: -Harlow’s research supports the Learning Theory of attachment. Aim: To test Learning theory by comparing attachment behaviour in baby monkeys given a wire surrogate mother producing milk with those given a soft towelling mother producing no milk.