Question

A famous study by Harry Harlow (1953) demonstrated that _____ is a powerful motive, as evidenced by monkeys spending hours trying to open a complicated lock, despite the lack of an incentive or a reward for their behavior.

a) Social bonding
b) Competition
c) Intrinsic motivation
d) Extrinsic motivation

Answer 1

Harry Harlow's study with monkeys, particularly the preference of soft, cloth mothers over wire ones that provided food, highlighted intrinsic motivation and the importance of emotional security and comfort over basic sustenance in primate behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

Harry Harlow's Study on Monkeys and Motivation:

Harry Harlow's 1953 study demonstrated that intrinsic motivation is a powerful driving force behind behavior. Monkeys in his study spent considerable time and effort learning to open a complex lock without any external reward, highlighting their intrinsic desire to solve problems and explore. Harlow's work revealed that providing comfort and security, even over sustenance, is essential for the psychological well-being and development of primates, including humans.

Intrinsic motivation refers to performing an activity for its inherent satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence. Harlow's experiments with rhesus monkeys showed that these animals preferred a soft, terrycloth mother that provided comfort over a wire mother that provided food, underlining the importance of social comfort and security. This pointed to the conclusion that the mother-infant bond—and by extension, other social behaviors—is motivated more by the need for emotional security than by basic physiological needs.