Harry Harlow
Compare and contrast research by Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth on understanding attachment
This essay is looking at the similarities of two researchers into attachment. The aim is to present their work so as to compare and contrast the different approaches and techniques used by both Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth. Even though they both had their different techniques in carrying out their experiments, the conclusion of their findings was very similar and this essay will be showing these findings by contrast. Both psychologists wanted to find out the underlying mechanics of attachment of mothers and their young.
Firstly an American psychologist namely Harry Harlow who almost by accident started the most influential work in understanding attachment, fortunately discovered he was unable to carry out his original study regarding intelligence in rats, so he turned to the abilities of monkeys after seeing strange behaviour portrayed by the monkeys as he cleaned their cages. Subsequently he realised the fuss was being made from the extraction of the soft sanitary towels that were used in lining their cages. With this in mind he set out to prove the affection these monkey had for the sanitary towels was in fact “contact comfort” seeing as all their other needs were catered for and there was only adverse behaviour on the removal of the towels. He used rhesus macaques a medium sized monkey, which shares 94% DNA with humans “yet one must not be very careful how one interprets this genetic similarity. We share 50 per cent of our DNA with a banana”(Discovering Psychology, p.204,2010). Harlow constructed two surrogate mothers for these babies to show affection or need. a wire cylinder that provided milk, also in the cage was a structure made of wood covered in foam with a layer of towelling(also known as terry cloth in America). On viewing the action of the baby monkeys Harry Harlow confirmed his theory of “contact comfort”. He witnessed the baby clinging on to the
This essay is looking at the similarities of two researchers into attachment. The aim is to present their work so as to compare and contrast the different approaches and techniques used by both Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth. Even though they both had their different techniques in carrying out their experiments, the conclusion of their findings was very similar and this essay will be showing these findings by contrast. Both psychologists wanted to find out the underlying mechanics of attachment of mothers and their young.
Firstly an American psychologist namely Harry Harlow who almost by accident started the most influential work in understanding attachment, fortunately discovered he was unable to carry out his original study regarding intelligence in rats, so he turned to the abilities of monkeys after seeing strange behaviour portrayed by the monkeys as he cleaned their cages. Subsequently he realised the fuss was being made from the extraction of the soft sanitary towels that were used in lining their cages. With this in mind he set out to prove the affection these monkey had for the sanitary towels was in fact “contact comfort” seeing as all their other needs were catered for and there was only adverse behaviour on the removal of the towels. He used rhesus macaques a medium sized monkey, which shares 94% DNA with humans “yet one must not be very careful how one interprets this genetic similarity. We share 50 per cent of our DNA with a banana”(Discovering Psychology, p.204,2010). Harlow constructed two surrogate mothers for these babies to show affection or need. a wire cylinder that provided milk, also in the cage was a structure made of wood covered in foam with a layer of towelling(also known as terry cloth in America). On viewing the action of the baby monkeys Harry Harlow confirmed his theory of “contact comfort”. He witnessed the baby clinging on to the
References: Brace, n. and Byford, j. (eds)Discovering Psycology(2010), Milton Keynes, The Open University. *