A New Look at Some Old Mechanisms in Human Newborns

The biological mechanisms by which sucking on a pacifier versus tasting a component of milk (sucrose) affect newborns' behaviorial states are investigated in this study of normal calm and agitated babies, as well as a subgroup of infants born to methadone-maintained mothers. The differential effects obtained for tactile and gustatory stimulation under the different conditions are discussed by the authors in the context of the psychobiology of early mother-infant interaction and of its influence on the child's development.