Which experiments showed that infants bond with surrogate mothers because of bodily contact and not nourishment?

Which experiments showed that infants bond with surrogate mothers because of bodily contact and not nourishment?

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

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that early attachment is driven by contact comfort, not nourishment. In Harlow’s surrogate-mother experiments, infant monkeys showed a clear preference for the soft cloth surrogate that provided warmth and physical closeness, even though the wire surrogate offered food. The babies clung to or sought reassurance from the cloth mother when frightened, demonstrating that bodily contact and comfort are more influential for bonding than feeding alone. The other options don’t fit this specific finding. The Strange Situation looks at how infants react to separations and reunions to classify attachment styles, not at whether nourishment or touch drives bonding. Temperament studies and Slow to Warm Up temperament focus on individual personality differences rather than attachment formation through caregiver contact. While the broader works of Harlow include the Pit of Despair, that line of research examines the effects of social isolation, not the nourishment-versus-contact question that the cloth-vs-wire experiments directly address.

The main idea here is that early attachment is driven by contact comfort, not nourishment. In Harlow’s surrogate-mother experiments, infant monkeys showed a clear preference for the soft cloth surrogate that provided warmth and physical closeness, even though the wire surrogate offered food. The babies clung to or sought reassurance from the cloth mother when frightened, demonstrating that bodily contact and comfort are more influential for bonding than feeding alone.

The other options don’t fit this specific finding. The Strange Situation looks at how infants react to separations and reunions to classify attachment styles, not at whether nourishment or touch drives bonding. Temperament studies and Slow to Warm Up temperament focus on individual personality differences rather than attachment formation through caregiver contact. While the broader works of Harlow include the Pit of Despair, that line of research examines the effects of social isolation, not the nourishment-versus-contact question that the cloth-vs-wire experiments directly address.