Question

Six-year-old Henry was very excited and curious when his parents took him to the zoo for the first time. However, when the primates came up to the glass and mimicked his behavior, Henry became visibly upset. Henry's initial curiosity and his later fear and apprehension in this situation are best explained by _______ theory.

a) Social cognitive
b) Psychoanalytic
c) Behaviorist
d) Attachment

Answer 1

Henry's reactions at the zoo are best explained by attachment theory, which highlights the importance of social comfort and security for healthy development, as shown by Harlow's studies on rhesus monkeys.

Step-by-step explanation:

Henry's initial curiosity and his later fear and apprehension when primates at the zoo mimicked his behavior are best explained by attachment theory. This theory, substantiated by the work of psychologists such as Harry Harlow, John Bowlby, and Mary Ainsworth, emphasizes the importance of social comfort and security for healthy psychosocial development.

Harlow's experiments with rhesus monkeys, which demonstrated that monkeys preferred a soft, cloth surrogate mother over a wire one even though it did not provide food, underscores the need for contact comfort in establishing bonds that are critical to an individual's development. In Henry's situation, his response could be attributed to an inability to assimilate the unfamiliar behavior of the primates into an existing schema. Attachment to his parents provides comfort and security, and encountering mimicking behaviors from non-human primates might challenge his sense of safety, leading to distress.