Evening star., 1936-06-30
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

these involve sensory exploration and
utilization of the environment. Due to
the convenience of circumstances and
certain pre-natally acquired reflexes for
material intake and elimination, the
appetitive drives of breathing and feed
ing develop Immediately after BIRTH
They take on specific form as the re-
suit Of the dimunition of useless activity
and as they come to have direct refer
ence to the end result which is found
by experience to relieve organic tension
most satisfactorily. These appetitive
drives are determined at first more by
internal stimulation than external.
Later, from the age of to 3 months,
the sight Of food prompts sucking and
feeding activity"
There is distress-the empty stomach.
1t is a threat to the survival of the
organism. The whole organism moves to
meet the threat, but only one part of the
massive movement does any good-the
movement of swallowing food. Very
rapidly everything but this is eliminated.
With this basic instinct acquired, the
urge for survival" Is ready for still
further differentiation and elimination.
The first of these differentiations, as
noted by DR.. Bridges, comes during
the first and second months of life and
probably constitutes the basic material
of intelligence" 1t is curiosity, which,
together with its twin attribute, memory,
may be warp and woof of intelligence.
This" says DR.. Bridges, may be re-
garded as the explorative and seeking
part of all adaptive activity. The shift
of attention of the infant from q dis
tant object to nearby person and
thence to rattling sound or to its own
hand are signs of inquiring curiosity or
intelligent versatility. AS the infant
develops, his curiosity becomes specific.
He watches peoples faces, plays with
his toes, peers into boxes and later runs
in and out of rooms. Just as q person
acquires a good memory for this or that
type of thing, so an individual may de-
velop strong curiosity or interest in spe-
ciflc materials or subjects of study. 1t
implies an incomplete perceptual grasp
of a situation and sufficient previous
satisfaction to cause repeated attack or
further attentive examination"
In this very early differentiation of
the instinct" Of curiosity, DR.. Bridges
points out in her report to the National
Research Council Committee, appears
for the first time q distinction between
the bright and the dull. The curiosities
of the two develop in different ways.
Says the Montreal psychologist:
1.-THE older the child, or the more In
telligent, the more distant Is his OBJ
jective-that Is, the more extensive the
experience required to attain it. At
any age it would seem that the more
intelligent child has greater power OF
differentiation Of sense data. He re-
spends to partial stimuli and is quickly
satisfied with the result of each action,
in so far as it is q step in total, more
inclusive process Of comprehension. His
liberated attention then turns to an
other aspect Of the perceptual problem.
He is inquisitive and curious. Practical
exploitation of the environment follows
close upon successful exploration, as part
of the general process of adaptive
growth in behavior. The bright child
soon tires Of easy solutions and tackles
ever more dificult problems leading to
remoter ends.
The dull child. Ga the either hand.