Baby Toting Circa 1963 (Vintage Video)
Oh Mrs. Peterson . . .
Never in my wildest dreams have I imagined June Cleaver wearing a papoose, but you can bet your mei tai I did today! Thank you for a fascinating interview, especially the part about those poor neurotic monkeys at the end. As Amanda said on Facebook, “Mothers are kind of a big deal, I suppose.”
(P.S. Hey mamas, I’m sorry you have to plug through a silly ad to see the video, but it is oh-so-worth-it!)
About Those Neurotic Monkeys . . .
It’s interesting to see traditional mothering practices next to what used to be touted as “scientific” mothering. Here is the Dr. Harlow’s experiment on monkeys Mrs. Peterson mentions in her interview. Dr. Harlow originally claimed a cloth mother can produce well-adjusted monkeys, but later adjusted his position. (Warning: This video is disturbing and would not be allowed to be conducted today. )
Do you know a mama (or ten) who dreams of a big ruffled kitchen apron to go with her Ergo? Click the “share” buttons above to share it with her on Facebook or Pinterest.
Carrie
Oh my gosh, this is AWESOME! Too bad you didn’t get the same interviewer when you went on CNN – she asked some great questions!
Heather
Lol, I think it’s too bad Mrs. Peterson wasn’t available to do the interview!
Brittany
Do you know what that study is she talked about at the end? I want to know more about those monkeys! Thanks for sharing, BTW!
Heather
Hey Brittany! This is what I found:
“In a well-known series of experiments conducted between 1957 and 1963 in his laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harlow removed baby rhesus monkeys from their mothers and arranged for them to be “raised” by two kinds of surrogate monkey mother machines, both equipped to dispense milk. One device was made out of bare mesh wire. The other was fashioned from wire and covered with soft terrycloth. He later modified the experiment by separating the infants into two groups, giving them no choice between the two types of mothers.
The studies were motivated by John Bowlby’s World Health Organization-sponsored study and report, “Maternal Care and Mental Health” in 1950, in which Bowlby reviewed previous studies on the effects of institutionalization on child development such as René Spitz’s[4] and his own surveys on children raised in a variety of settings. In 1953, his colleague, James Robertson, produced a short and controversial documentary film titled A Two-Year-Old Goes to Hospital demonstrating the almost immediate effects of maternal separation. Bowlby’s report, coupled with Robertson’s film, demonstrated the importance of the primary caregiver in human and non-human primate development. Bowlby de-emphasized the mother’s role in feeding as a basis for the development of a strong mother-child relationship. However, his conclusions generated much debate. It was the debate concerning the reasons behind the demonstrated need for maternal care that Harlow addressed in his studies with surrogates.
In Harlow’s classic experiment, two groups of baby rhesus monkeys were removed from their mothers. In the first group, a terrycloth mother provided no food, while a wire mother did, in the form of an attached baby bottle containing milk. In the second group, a terrycloth mother provided food; the wire mother did not. It was found that the young monkeys clung to the terrycloth mother whether or not it provided them with food, and that the young monkeys chose the wire surrogate only when it provided food.
Whenever a frightening stimulus was brought into the cage, the monkeys ran to the cloth mother for protection and comfort, no matter which mother provided them with food. This response decreased as the monkeys grew older.”
More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Harlow
Tara
Loved this, thank you!
Heather
Glad you liked it, Tara! I could not wipe the smile off my face while I watched!
Ellie
Shared!
Heather
I’ll bet you made a mama smile!
Leah
That is awesome!
Here’s a video about the monkey experiment. There were several more variables, but I don’t know if I can’t find the videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlfOecrr6kI
Heather
THANK YOU, Leah! I didn’t think to check YouTube for Dr. Harlows stuff. Adding it into the post!!!
Leah
here’s one that has a little more, but not the part I was looking for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNBEhzjg8I&feature=related
and yes, it is disturbing. That research would not be allowed today.
Heather
Agreed. Thanks again, Leah!
Amanda
I think you would be interested in the PBS series, “This Emotional Life.” They explained this study, among others in one section.
Heather
Thank you, Amanda! I’ll check it out!
Sahn Lee via FB
I don’t really ‘”get” pininterest yet, but I love your breastfeeding photos collection, so I’m following u now. whatever that means.
Jamie Rebecca Hernandez via FB
Hi there, I was curious if you had looked into Katie M. Berggren. Personally, I think she does a lovely job capturing the closeness of mother and child in a colorful whimsical way. She has paintings of baby wearing and breast feeding. Maybe you need some lovely prints for your need house?
http://kmberggren.com
Jamie Rebecca Hernandez via FB
Hi there, I was curious if you had looked into Katie M. Berggren. Personally, I think she does a lovely job capturing the closeness of mother and child in a colorful whimsical way. She has paintings of baby wearing and breast feeding. Maybe you need some lovely prints for your need house?
http://kmberggren.com
Mommypotamus via FB
Lol, Sahn Lee! I”m the same way, in fact I wouldn’t even have a FB account if my husband hadn’t signed me up for it : ) Late adopters rock!
Mommypotamus via FB
Oh my goodness, these are amazing Jamie Rebecca Hernandez! We moved to today and I’m up late unpacking – THANK YOU for the inspiration!
Karen
great post!! thanks for sharing the videos!!
Heather
Glad you enjoyed it, Karen!
Alex Sullivan
That monkey video just ruined my night…how aweful