What Psychologists Say About the Monkey in the Zoo and His Doll 🐒🧸 — The Full Story and What Studies Reveal

🔬 What Harlow Tested

Harlow separated baby rhesus monkeys from their biological mothers shortly after birth and gave them access to two surrogate “mothers”:

1. A wire mother that supplied food

2. A soft cloth mother that provided no food, only comfort

Psychologists expected the monkeys to spend most time on the wire mother since it provided nourishment. Instead, the infants spent significantly more time clinging to the cloth mother, even going to it for comfort when scared.

🧠 Why This Was Important

• Attachment is about comfort, not just food. Harlow’s work showed that emotional comfort — warmth, softness, security — is a core part of attachment.

• It challenged behaviourist ideas that infants bond only with whoever provides physical needs.

• These findings helped shape attachment theory, which emphasizes the importance of emotional bonds in healthy development.

However, while Harlow’s findings were scientifically influential, today his methods are