Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology · 1963 · 1.1K citations · 11 references
Life SciencesDevelopmental BiologyZoologyAnimal BehaviorDevelopmental NeuroscienceMotor DevelopmentKitten DevelopmentMammalian Sensory BiologyPerceptual-motor DevelopmentSensorimotor DevelopmentSensory IntegrationSensory System DevelopmentBlink Reflex ResponsesEarly Postnatal AdaptationInfant Locomotor DevelopmentNeonatal Sensory DevelopmentNewborn Motor DevelopmentSensory Feedback LoopsSensory Feedback SystemsTactile Stimulation
Movement‑produced sensory feedback is essential for full adaptation to sensory rearrangement, and Riesen proposed that this factor also operates in higher mammals, though sensory‑sensory associations may be required. The study tested this by allowing visual stimulation of the active member of neonatal kitten pairs to vary with locomotor movements while the passive member received passive motion, contrasting movement‑dependent and movement‑independent visual input. Active members showed normal visually guided paw placement, visual cliff discrimination, and blink responses, whereas passive members failed, extending adult rearrangement conclusions to neonatal development. Hebb’s 1949 writing has stimulated interest.
Full and exact adaptation to sensory rearrangement in adult human Ss requires movement-produced sensory feedback. Riesen's work suggested that this factor also operates in the development of higher mammals but he proposed that sensory-sensory associations are the prerequisite. To test these alternatives, visual stimulation o f the active member (A) o f each of 10 pairs of neonatal kittens was allowed to vary with its locomotor movements while equivalent stimulation o f the second member (P) resulted from passive motion. Subsequent tests of visually guided paw placement, discrimination on a visual cliff, and the blink response were normal for A but failing in P. When other alternative explanations are excluded, this result extends the conclusions of studies of adult rearrangement to neonatal development. Hebb's writing (1949) has stirred interest
11