What were Harlow’s experiments? One was a wire cage shaped into the form of a “mother” monkey, which could provide food and drink via a small feeder. The wire ‘mother’ and the soft ‘mother’ in Harlow’s experiment. Just as Harlow’s monkeys favoured their terry towelling mother, Punch has formed an attachment to his IKEA plushie companion. Today, we would see Harlow’s experiments as a cruel and unkind thing to do.

Source: Punch February 23, 2026 10:03 UTC