EXPLORATORY BEHAVIOR IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDH

Abstract

A healthy child investigates and maoipulates objects endlessly. He or she gets oto cupboards and pulla out fha pots and pans, iospects atonas, repeata souods made and heard, lístens to the sound of runoiog water, fingers fha twitching fose of tbe family’a pet rabbit, watches bis or her toes disappear jo fha aaod, gazas at bis or bar stomach as it moyas jo and out, peers oto mothers nose, and on and oo. Tbese ¡nstances of exploratory bebavior, and many others like them, haya been attributed to the child’s “natural curiosity,” “a ¡ove of the natural,” “an inherent deaire to learn,” and “a natural interest jo the new and different.” Whether any of these phrases ja an adequate explanation of exploratory behavior, the activities referred fo play an important role o a child’s development. lo illustrate how exploratory behavior has been treated o the past, 1 shall review and comment 00 two theories. One bolds that exploratory bebavior a triggered by fha emotion of curiosity; the other maintains that it a brought about by an arousal drive. Iban 1 shall describe, jo soma detail, how exploratory behavior a treated from a behavior analysis point of view.