ABSTRACT
The strength and specificity of the mother-infant bond in mammals is closely associated with a number of factors in the behavioural ecology of the species. These factors include the degree of altriciality or precociality of the offspring, the degree of sociality of the species, and whether or not the species is predator or prey. Proximate factors influencing bonding of mother to young include parturition, hormones, and exposure to the infants. Parturition itself undoubtedly plays a role in directing a female's attention to her young. Jay Rosenblatt has paid special attention to the period that he refers to as the "transition" from hormonal control of onset to infant-determined maintenance of maternal behaviour in rats. The chapter argues that the hour immediately after birth fits the definition of a critical period during most of human evolution. It suggests that the separation of mother and infant immediately after postpartum may interfere with the bonding process.
