ABSTRACT
Everyone "knows" that normal babies love their mothers; it is this love upon which parents capitalize in teaching children how to behave. The babies nursed from either mother—to eat, after all, is an imperative of life—but spent no more time with the wire mother than was required for feeding. Unanimously they climbed, cuddled, and clung to the cloth mother. Among the mother-child pairs whose records were checked was a handsome cherub named Peter. In dozens of similar tests, the babies used the cloth mother as a psychological home base, coming briefly back to "her" for reassurance after an exploratory foray into the far corners of the cage or a tentative examination of a new toy. The African babies came from lower class families where ancient tribal customs are still practiced. Babies remain with their mothers day and night.
