What did Harlow and Harlow's classic study with baby monkeys demonstrate about attachment?
AFeeding alone was the most crucial factor for attachment formation
BContact comfort, not feeding, was crucial for attachment formation
CVisual exposure alone was sufficient for attachment formation
DAuditory exposure alone was sufficient for attachment formation
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Contact comfort, not feeding, was crucial for attachment formation
1. Baby monkeys were placed with two surrogate mothers, one wire and one cloth.
2. Half were fed by the wire mother and half by the cloth mother.
3. Regardless of feeding source, the baby monkeys preferred the cloth mother.
4. This showed that providing nourishment was not crucial for attachment.
5. What mattered for attachment was contact comfort with the cloth mother.
6. Hence the Harlow study showed contact comfort outweighs feeding for attachment.
_Source: NCERT Class 11 Psychology Ch 3 "Human Development", p. 48, Socio-emotional Development in Infancy_
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