Skip to main content

Friday Fun: Cloth Monkey, Wire Monkey [video]

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


In the 1950s, psychologist Harry Harlow began to study mother-infant relations in monkeys. After depriving young monkeys from their biological mothers, they were placed in a room where they could either hang out with a "wire monkey" - essentially, a metal figure in the rough shape of a monkey - or a "cloth monkey," which was the same figure, adorned in a fuzzy terry cloth coat. The key, though, was the only the wire monkey would provide nourishment. The cloth monkey had no food or drink to give.

He was a bit surprised to find that the baby monkeys spent most of their time with the cloth monkeys, only approaching the wire monkeys when hungry.

Now, half a century later, teacher Brad Wray and his independent study students from Arundel High School in Maryland have set one of those experiments to music.


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Want to learn more about Harlow? Check out Deborah Blum's Love at Goon Park

via Association for Psychological Science

Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.

More by Jason G. Goldman