Cloth Mother by Milkweed

This album references the experiments conducted by Harry F. Harlow in the 50s through to the 70s. Harlow was interested in how social isolation and maternal deprivation would effect young rhesus monkeys.

In one experiment he removed these monkeys from their mothers shortly after birth and gave them surrogate mothers made of either wire or cloth. In another he put young monkeys in what he called "the pit of despair". This was a vertical chamber with sloped sides to discourage the monkey from climbing around the top. The monkey would be deprived of everything except adequate food and water to keep it alive. The monkeys were left alone in these chambers for up to ten weeks.

The results of his studies were important in that they provided counter evidence to the claim that the mother-child bond was primarily motivated by food. He managed to show that comfort and affection was an important part of this bond and significant in the social development of these young rhesus monkeys. However, Harlow received criticism, even at the time of the experiments, for unethical practices. His experiments intentionally caused serious distress in the monkeys that he used as his subjects and they were a considerate force in the development of the ethical standards that we have today.

To get a more detailed look into Harlow's life and experiments, as well as the effects those experiments had on its subjects:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znBa3lap5jQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdbnwrNbINI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shIazq_66Aw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Harlow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_of_despair

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2O2vQrfKXZ-wCtqpzFx0QQ