Harlow, Harry Frederick (1905–81)

Harry F. Harlow, an American psychologist remembered for his studies of the development of the mother–infant attachment bond in monkeys, made numerous other seminal empirical contributions including developing a standardized procedure for testing the cognitive capabilities of nonhuman primates, demonstrating the capacity for abstract learning in rhesus monkeys, characterizing the long-term effects of different early social experiences, and reversing social deficits associated with early isolation rearing. Harlow's findings not only influenced researchers, theorists, and clinicians who focused on human development, but also provided the basis for several new areas of investigation.