SUCKLING - DETERMINANTS, CHANGES, MECHANISMS, AND LASTING IMPRESSIONS

Four facets of suckling behavior are explored: (a) phylogenetic origins, (b) behavioral and physiological controls of nipple (breast) attachment and milk intake, (c) natural opportunities, through suckling and other classes of filiative behavior, in which to learn about mother, siblings, food, and social status, and (d) mechanisms underlying changes in infant state and affect that might cause long-term emotional and behavioral changes, including ones involved in sexual selection. The article provides, therefore, a means for programatic investigation of behavioral changes that might be directly or indirectly influenced by early parent contacts. It establishes the temporal and opportunistic limitations that constrain these influences and identifies possible behavioral and physiological mechanisms through which these influences might act.