Preview

Compare and Contrast the Work of Harlow and Skinner

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1537 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Compare and Contrast the Work of Harlow and Skinner
Compare and contrast the approaches of Skinner and Harlow to investigating influences on behaviour.

This essay will cover a wide range of material to identify, compare and contrast the work of Harry Harlow and Burrhus Frederick Skinner. Harlow and Skinner did research and investigated the influences on behaviour; this essay will draw upon both investigations. Further into the essay it will identify some similarities and differences into both researches with a supported argument about the importance and implications of both studies. The essay will then conclude with a conclusion on the findings. Behaviour can be describes in many forms and ways. According to the dictionary ‘Behaviour is the manner in which one behaves, the actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to external or internal stimulation’ (www.thefreedictionary.co.uk). Harlow was an American Psychologist who investigated the bond of infants to their mother. The reason for this investigation was to see if the bond was due to cupboard love. Cupboard love is what the infant is attached to such as providing of food or something warm and soft to touch. However Bowlby had already said that the bond with the infant to the mother was to do with something other than cupboard love. Bowlby stated ‘an inbuilt tendency to become attached to stimuli that poses certain properties’ (discovering psychology, chapter5, pg201). Harlow who wanted to conduct his study on rats accidentally conducted it on medium sized monkeys known as (Macaca Mulatta). The reason for using this particular type is that they are easy to keep and breed in captivity; they also share 94% DNA to a human. After securing funding for a primate laboratory, Harlow started his work. However when cleaning the cages the infant monkeys would protest, Harlow then went on to find out whether the monkeys were on protest due to ‘contact comfort’. To test the idea of contact comfort Harlow constructed two types of surrogate mothers. One of
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Describe And Evaluate Bowlby's Theory Of Attachment And Maternal Deprivation
    • 2361 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Describe And Evaluate Bowlby's Theory Of Attachment And Maternal Deprivation

    They carried out an experiment on infant monkeys. They placed them in a cage with two wire mesh cylinders. One was bare with just a bottle of milk with a teat, to signify a lactating mother, and the other was wrapped in towelling to supply comfort. If the supply of food was all that was needed to form an attachment then you would think that the monkeys would have spent the majority of the time with the milk. In actual fact the opposite proved to be true. The monkeys used the towelling cylinder as their secure base for which to explore, a characteristic of attachment behaviour. This experiment proved that food alone was not sufficient in the formation of attachments. (Cardwell et al pg 117)…

    • 2361 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Harry F. Harlow: School Of Humanistic Psychology
    • 134 Words
    • 1 Page

    Harry F. Harlow: School Of Humanistic Psychology

    Harry F. Harlow was an American Psychologist who provided us a new and better understanding of human behavior and development through studies of social behavior of monkeys. Harry Harlow received his BA and PhD in psychology from Stanford University and immediately joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin. Within a year, he had established the Psychology Primate Lab, which continued expanding until it joined with the Wisconsin Regional Primate Lab in 1964. Harlow became the director of the merged research center. He also worked with Abraham Maslow, who later established the school of humanistic psychology. Henry Harlow was intrigued by love. He questioned the theories that stated the love between mother and child. His research contributions…

    • 134 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Assessment Cypop30
    • 4413 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Assessment Cypop30

    B.F. Skinner, born on March 20th 1904, was an American behavioural psychologist who carried who carried out many experiments based on how behaviour is shaped and that all humans will regurgitate the things they enjoy doing and avoid those they dislike. He understood that creative people will be rewarded positively in order for that person to take an interest in that particular activity and develop further. He based his theories on self-observation, causing him to support behaviourism, believing that people should be controlled through systematic rewards. Skinner discovered and advanced the “Rate of response” as a dependant variable psychological research. He was criticised as many scientists are, but was called both “evil and hateful” yet also “warm and enthusiastic.”…

    • 4413 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Dfa7130 Assignment 2
    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Dfa7130 Assignment 2

    In the 19th B. F. Skinner he believed that the results he discovered with rats in his ‘Skinner Box’ would be transferable to humans, that is our behaviour responds to a stimuli, whether praise or disapproval.…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Evaluating Bowlby
    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Evaluating Bowlby

    3. The importance of secondary attachments was found in a study by Harlow where monkeys who were raised just with their mothers for 6 months were later socially abnormal and were then unable to act socially around other monkeys.…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychology AQA AS Unit 1
    • 6221 Words
    • 20 Pages

    Psychology AQA AS Unit 1

    Research by Harlow (1959) suggests attachment may not totally based upon the provision of food. Harlow removed baby rhesus monkeys from their mothers, and placed them into a cage. In the cage there were 2 wire mesh cylinders. One covered in towelling (contact comfort mother) and the other bare but with a bottle on the top (lactating mother) Harlow found that the babies spent most of their time clinging to the contact conform mother, especially when they were scared, and only visited the lactating mother occasionally to feed. This does not support leaning theory because it suggests that comfort may be more important than food in securing attachment.…

    • 6221 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Outline and Evaluate Research Into Individual Differences in Attachment
    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Outline and Evaluate Research Into Individual Differences in Attachment

    Attachment is when you get a strong reciprocal, emotional bond between two people like with a mother and infant. The attachment acts as a basis for further emotional and psychological development. Following on from the study carried out by Schaffer and Emerson (1964) on the phases of development in attachment, Ainsworth and Bell (1978) investigated individual differences in attachment using the Strange Situation. They hoped that their method of assessing attachments would be a reliable and valid measure of attachments. The Strange Situation test lasted approximately 20 minutes and involved the observation of an American infant (12 to 18 months) in a controlled observation room. The procedure consisted of 7 stressful episodes each lasting 3 minutes, depending on the reaction of the infant. The first episode involved the infant exploring the room in the presence of the caregiver. A stranger then entered the room, followed by the discreet departure of the caregiver. The caregiver would then return, and the reaction of the child would be recorded. The stranger would then leave the room. There was 3 clear groups of infants from the recorded results that were collected. One group greeted the mother on her return, this shows that the child was securely attached. Another group showed distress all around the room and rejected the mother on return, this is called an insecure resistant child. The final type of child found from the results was a child that didn’t orientate the room in which they were in, and they didn’t show any interest in their mothers return. This is called an insecure avoidant child.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cyp 3.1 2.3
    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cyp 3.1 2.3

    Skinner believed that learning is influenced by reward and punishment. Behaviour is affected by positive reinforcement. He believed children will repeat experiences that are enjoyable and stay away from those that are not.…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Outline and evaluate the learning theory of attachment
    • 809 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Outline and evaluate the learning theory of attachment

    The learning theory, firstly proposed by Dolland Miller (1950) argues that attachment is a form of nurture and so is learnt. Behaviourists came up with the idea that it is learnt either through classical or operant conditioning. The learning theory was introduced by behaviourists who base most of their explanation on the effects of nurturing. They proposed that all behaviour is learned rather than inborn and In terms of attachment, through either classical or operant conditioning. Psychologists have based their explanation of attachment on Pavlov’s experiments into classical conditioning. They argue that for infants the sensation of hunger and the need for food is an unconditioned stimulus and producing a sense of pleasure happens when the baby receives food. The baby then has an unconditioned response to receiving food. The person who produces the food becomes associated with the pleasure the baby feels. If that is repeated enough the baby then reacts in a similar way to the mother as it does to food, even in the absence of food. The baby then learns to become attached to the mother.…

    • 809 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ethical Implications of Adverse Conditioning
    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ethical Implications of Adverse Conditioning

    It is not usual for psychologists to give prominence to ethical issues and Skinner is no exception. However, in writing about the application of behavioral analysis to significant issues in human behavior. Skinner stresses three issues which have general ethical implications. The use of positive reinforcement, the minimization of punishment contingencies and the specification of objectives (Skinner 1953, 1971).…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Harlow
    • 1948 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Harlow

    Harry Harlow is known for his experiments on maternal separation and social isolation of rhesus monkeys. His work emphasized the importance of care-giving and companionship as a vital component to normal social and cognitive development. In his surrogate mother experiment, Harlow demonstrated the importance of contact comfort. Baby rhesus monkeys were separated from their mothers and given two surrogate mothers. One made out of wire, and another made of terry cloth. He found that even when food was provided by the wire surrogate, the baby monkeys preferred to cling to the terry cloth surrogate. In his social isolation experiments, he again separated baby rhesus monkeys from their mothers and subjected the baby monkeys to partial or total isolation of various duration. He found that those who experienced partial isolation exhibited abnormal behaviors such as going in circles, blank staring, and self-mutilation. Those who experienced total isolation exhibited severe psychological disturbance and experienced emotional shock upon being released from isolation. He also found that subsequent attempts to socialize, monkeys who were isolated were only partially successful. Harlow's work, as well as other Psychologists inspired by Harlow’s research, revealed the importance of contact comfort and social interaction to healthy development and influenced child-rearing practices, particularly in orphanages and other institutions that provided care to children.…

    • 1948 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Has Attachment Theory Had Its Day?
    • 2385 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Has Attachment Theory Had Its Day?

    Ainsworth’s Strange Situation involved providing an unfamiliar but interesting environment where the child was motivated to explore but needed to feel secure. An observer then recorded the child’s responses to the departure and later return of the mother (Woolfolk et al, 2008).The research showed significant differences in the child’s reactions and so led Ainsworth to develop the three types of attachment. The secure type is when an infant seeks protection or comfort from their mother and receives care consistently; the mother is usually rated as loving and affectionate. The avoidant type is when the infant tends to pull away from their…

    • 2385 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Is Attachment Important
    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Why Is Attachment Important

    He observed the baby animals will imprint upon – that is to say, blindly follow and make every effort to stay close to - the first moving thing they see – generally their mothers, though incidents of imprinting upon humans, animals and even tennis balls have been known to occur. Bowlby also studied the efforts of young chimps to cling to their mothers’ chests in attempts to maintain as close a proximity to them at all times, and therefore ensure themselves a better chance at survival. He theorised that human infants also possessed a similar instinct, however since they are less physically developed than most other mammals at birth and therefore less able to maintain proximity to caregivers, they instead tend to act in ways that motivate their caregivers to stay close to them, with signals such as crying, cooing, gurgling, and…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Positive Reinforcement
    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Positive Reinforcement

    The best way to understand the full importance of the applications of B. F. Skinner's (1953, 1971) thinking and his research results is to read his novel, Walden Two (1948). The book is about a utopian…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Importance of Social Support on Health
    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Importance of Social Support on Health

    Schlinger, H,. (2008). The long good-Bye: Why B. F. sKinner’s verbal behavior is alive and well…

    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics