Which experiments show nourishment is not the sole factor in forming a bond with a caregiver?

Which experiments show nourishment is not the sole factor in forming a bond with a caregiver?

• A. Pit of Despair Experiments (Harlow)
• B. Strange Situation Experiments
• C. Temperament Studies
• D. Slow to Warm Up Temperament

Answer: (A)

Attachment is shaped by more than feeding alone—the presence of comfort, warmth, and responsive care plays a crucial role in forming a bond. In Harlow’s famous monkey studies, infant monkeys chose a soft cloth surrogate that provided warmth and contact comfort over a wire surrogate that delivered food. The monkeys clung to the cloth mother and sought comfort from her, even though the wire mother fed them, demonstrating that nourishment isn’t the sole factor driving attachment. The pit of despair work focuses on the effects of social isolation rather than how bonds form, while the Strange Situation looks at attachment styles by observing reactions to separations and reunions, emphasizing caregiver responsiveness rather than feeding. Taken together, the cloth-versus-wire experiments best illustrate that nourishment alone doesn’t create the bond.

Attachment is shaped by more than feeding alone—the presence of comfort, warmth, and responsive care plays a crucial role in forming a bond. In Harlow’s famous monkey studies, infant monkeys chose a soft cloth surrogate that provided warmth and contact comfort over a wire surrogate that delivered food. The monkeys clung to the cloth mother and sought comfort from her, even though the wire mother fed them, demonstrating that nourishment isn’t the sole factor driving attachment. The pit of despair work focuses on the effects of social isolation rather than how bonds form, while the Strange Situation looks at attachment styles by observing reactions to separations and reunions, emphasizing caregiver responsiveness rather than feeding. Taken together, the cloth-versus-wire experiments best illustrate that nourishment alone doesn’t create the bond.