Reference Information
Title: Opening Skinner's Box
Author: Lauren Slater
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company (2008)
Chapter 6: Monkey Love (24 pages)
Summary
This chapter is about Harry Harlow and his research he did with rhesus macaque monkeys in the 1950s and 60s. He studied the psychology of attachment. The chapter begins talking about Harlow's upbringing and the lack of love he felt.
It was originally believe that all animals tried to do was fulfill physical needs. Harlow challenged this assertion. He found that when presented with 2 "monkeys", one made out of cloth and one made out of a wire frame [with milk], the baby monkeys spent much more time with the cloth monkey. He then declared motherhood as "obsolete" saying that men could perform all the tasks necessary to raising a child. He said this because he felt that all that love was required of love was touch.
He soon found however, that the monkeys that spent time with the terry cloth mothers were socially awful. They would hurt themselves and lash out at others. Harlow and his researchers then made monkeys that rocked and then exposed monkeys to some play time. This resulted in "normal" kids and they said that love was - touch, motion, and play.
Discussion
This chapter was disturbing and interesting at the same time. I wonder when and who the social learning of monkeys comes from. He said that monkeys that were only exposed to the terry cloth had no idea how to mate or interact socially, but who is that learned from? Dogs for example, grow up their whole lives around humans. Can they communicate with other dogs? Do they have a language? What if you didn't "teach" your baby anything. Would it learn to speak/communicate somehow?
This chapter is about Harry Harlow and his research he did with rhesus macaque monkeys in the 1950s and 60s. He studied the psychology of attachment. The chapter begins talking about Harlow's upbringing and the lack of love he felt.
It was originally believe that all animals tried to do was fulfill physical needs. Harlow challenged this assertion. He found that when presented with 2 "monkeys", one made out of cloth and one made out of a wire frame [with milk], the baby monkeys spent much more time with the cloth monkey. He then declared motherhood as "obsolete" saying that men could perform all the tasks necessary to raising a child. He said this because he felt that all that love was required of love was touch.
He soon found however, that the monkeys that spent time with the terry cloth mothers were socially awful. They would hurt themselves and lash out at others. Harlow and his researchers then made monkeys that rocked and then exposed monkeys to some play time. This resulted in "normal" kids and they said that love was - touch, motion, and play.
Discussion
This chapter was disturbing and interesting at the same time. I wonder when and who the social learning of monkeys comes from. He said that monkeys that were only exposed to the terry cloth had no idea how to mate or interact socially, but who is that learned from? Dogs for example, grow up their whole lives around humans. Can they communicate with other dogs? Do they have a language? What if you didn't "teach" your baby anything. Would it learn to speak/communicate somehow?
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