In the late 1950s, psychologist Harry Harlow conducted a series of experiments on love and maternal
attachment among rhesus monkeys. The monkeys were separated from their mothers and provided with two artificial “surrogate” mothers—one made of wire mesh and the other of soft terry cloth. Harlow found the monkeys spent more time clinging to and cuddling with the cloth mother, regardless of which mother provided nourishment. Harlow concluded that although the wire mother was “biologically adequate,” it was “psychologically inept.” Harlow’s research challenged the prevalent theory that maternal attachment was the result of a feeding bond.The Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron was fortunate enough to procure one of Dr. Harlow's wooden monkey heads. The Center turned to Bark at the Moon to design and fabricate a case to display this archive at the American Psychological Association (APA) conference held in Washington DC August 4-7, 2011. Our design solution was to develop a custom fabricated case with a secure acrylic cover that features an LED lighted pedestal to hold the archive. This illuminated pedestal emulates the look of the "wire cage" monkey body used in Dr. Harlow's experiments.
