Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Fri, 25 Aug 1995 08:50:20 -0400 |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
An LC at a nearby hospital made a display of artificial teats for her
staff. She talked about how they all knew babies could show strong
preferences for one teat over another, refusing some shapes altogether;
why should anyone think the human nipple would be the only one exempt from
preferences, especially since it, too, comes in such a vast array of shapes
and sizes.
She also talked with them about the effect of a "super-normal stimulus".
Some birds will abandon their own eggs in favor of similarly colored but
much bigger eggs - or will ignore their own young's gaping mouths in favor
of a more brightly colored or wider gaping mouth. They are built to
respond to a certain stimulus - and the bigger the stimulus the stronger
their response, even if it means the response is totally maladaptive. But
then, in a real world, those birds would simply never encounter a
super-normal stimulus. It's interference that sets them up for
inappropriate responses.
In the same way, a baby is at risk of ignoring the normal stimulus in favor
of the super-normal stimulus of a bottle teat.
I thought her presentation (heard about it; didn't see it) was as logical
and persuasive as any I've seen or read.
-Diane Wiessinger, LC in private practice, Ithaca, NY
|
|
|