While I do like seeing more science here I'm not sure if you're just forcing a point. The PBS summary says nothing about anthropomorphism. Neither does the Wikipedia entry. You're stretching the experiment past what it can actually tell you if you start talking about the monkeys giving the models special meanings or anthropomorphising. Always go with the simpler explanation. Cuddling a wire model is not as comfortable as cuddling a cloth model. I don't have to anthropomrphise chairs to tell you I'm going to sit on the most comfortable one available unless the other satisfies some other need.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
While I do like seeing more science here I'm not sure if you're just forcing a point. The PBS summary says nothing about anthropomorphism. Neither does the Wikipedia entry. You're stretching the experiment past what it can actually tell you if you start talking about the monkeys giving the models special meanings or anthropomorphising. Always go with the simpler explanation. Cuddling a wire model is not as comfortable as cuddling a cloth model. I don't have to anthropomrphise chairs to tell you I'm going to sit on the most comfortable one available unless the other satisfies some other need.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~