Why was the Harlow (1958)study with the cloth and wire surrogate mothers so important?
A) It demonstrated that feeding was the primary drive of infant attachments.
B) It showed that human and monkey attachments follow very different developmental courses.
C) It showed that the type of contact infant and mother had was more critical for attachment formation than feeding.
D) It showed that there is no instinctive drive to form an attachment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Harlow (1958) study with the cloth and wire surrogate mothers was important because it demonstrated that the type of contact an infant and mother had was more critical for attachment formation than feeding. While the infants in the study were fed by both the cloth and wire mothers, they overwhelmingly preferred to spend their time with the cloth mother who provided a soft, cuddly surface for contact. This emphasized the importance of physical touch and comfort in attachment formation, and challenged the previously held belief that attachment was primarily driven by the need for nourishment.

Why Was the Harlow (1958)study with the Cloth and Wire