Harry Harlow and his colleagues completed a number of studies in which baby macaque monkeys were raised with two artificial surrogate mothers. One of the mothers was made of wire, and the other was made of soft cloth. Either mother could provide food. Harlow was interested in which of the mothers the infant monkeys would seek out when they were startled or frightened. In these studies the dependent variable was the:
A)material from which the surrogate was made.
B)surrogate that the infant monkey preferred when it was startled.
C)age of the infant monkey at the time of the test.
D)length of time the infant monkey spent exploring the cage.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this study was the surrogate that the infant monkey preferred when it was startled or frightened, as Harlow wanted to investigate attachment and bonding behaviors. The material from which the surrogate was made, the age of the infant monkey, and the length of time the monkey spent exploring the cage were independent variables or extraneous variables that may have influenced the results, but were not the focus of the study.

Harry Harlow and His Colleagues Completed a Number of Studies