In a series of influential mid-20th century studies, infant monkeys were separated from their mothers at birth and raised with two artificial surrogates: one made of bare wire that provided milk, and another covered in soft cloth that offered no food. The research demonstrated that the infants overwhelmingly preferred the cloth surrogate for comfort and security, fundamentally changing the understanding of attachment. Given the severe and lasting psychological distress this procedure caused the monkeys, critically evaluate whether the scientific knowledge gained from these studies justified the methods used. Support your position with ethical reasoning.