Terrycloth

The Terrycloth Experiment was conducted with the use of baby Rhesus monkeys that were separated from their mothers at birth. Harry Harlow, an American psychiatrist, used these monkeys in order to research his theory of early attachment., Harlow was investigating the preference of comfort versus necessity. The experiment found that the monkeys sought warmth and affection from a surrogate mother made of terrycloth and foam rather than the wire surrogate mother that provided nourishment via a rubber nipple. Harlow speculated that human infants are like Rhesus monkeys in their desire and need for contact comfort but for ethical reasons no such research has been conducted.

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