CHILD DEVELOPMENT PEDAGOGY

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: -The behavioral theory of attachment suggests that an infant would form an attachment with a caregiver that provides food. In contrast, Harlow’s explanation was that attachment develops as a result of needing tactile comfort, such as wanting to touch and cling to something or someone for emotional support.

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 conducted research with 8 rhesus monkeys which were caged from infancy with wire mesh food dispensing and cloth-covered surrogate mothers, to investigate which of the two alternatives would have more attachment behaviours directed towards it.

Detailed explanation-5: -Harlow was interested in the infants’ attachment to the cloth diapers, speculating that the soft material may simulate the comfort provided by a mother’s touch. Based on this observation, Harlow designed his now-famous surrogate mother experiment.