For anyone interested in the Harlow experiments, I highly recommend "Touching: Human Significance of Skin" by Ashley Montagu. The first chapter or so goes into details about the Harlow experiments and how they tied in with similar research on orphanages. Primates (humans included) actually need a fair amount of skin stimulus to continue to develop correctly during the first year. Orphanages provided anecdotal evidence of what types of deficits would develop, but the Harlow experiments gave more detailed scientific data on exactly what sort of things went wrong developmentally, and when, if infants were deprived of interaction.
Much of that data was used to overhaul how orphanages and neonatal units operated. If you've ever seen info about neonatal units making sure parents (or volunteers) spend time everyday snuggling very, very sick or premature babies, THAT research is why. That stimulation of the body's largest organ, and largest SENSORY organ, helps regulate development and if infants and children aren't getting enough of it, they will try and get the necessary stimulation. Those infants need to FEEL as much as they need to hear or see to develop correctly.
The whole book is filled with really interesting information about development and all the feedback systems built into the human body to regulate development and even just to regulate day to day functions of the body. But man, that first chunk of the book is heartbreaking to read... They get referred back to frequently through rest of book. Overall, highly recommended for anyone that works with children or is thinking of becoming a parent.
For anyone interested in the Harlow experiments, I highly recommend "Touching: Human Significance of Skin" by Ashley Montagu. The first chapter or so goes into details about the Harlow experiments and how they tied in with similar research on orphanages. Primates (humans included) actually need a fair amount of skin stimulus to continue to develop correctly during the first year. Orphanages provided anecdotal evidence of what types of deficits would develop, but the Harlow experiments gave more detailed scientific data on exactly what sort of things went wrong developmentally, and when, if infants were deprived of interaction.
Much of that data was used to overhaul how orphanages and neonatal units operated. If you've ever seen info about neonatal units making sure parents (or volunteers) spend time everyday snuggling very, very sick or premature babies, THAT research is why. That stimulation of the body's largest organ, and largest SENSORY organ, helps regulate development and if infants and children aren't getting enough of it, they will try and get the necessary stimulation. Those infants need to FEEL as much as they need to hear or see to develop correctly.
The whole book is filled with really interesting information about development and all the feedback systems built into the human body to regulate development and even just to regulate day to day functions of the body. But man, that first chunk of the book is heartbreaking to read... They get referred back to frequently through rest of book. Overall, highly recommended for anyone that works with children or is thinking of becoming a parent.