ABSTRACT
T. C. Schneirla has been a largely unacknowledged influence on human development research (cf., Turkewitz, 1987). His Approach/Withdrawal (A/W) theory (Schneirla, 1957) has particular relevance to newborn and early infant behavior. The basic principle underlying Schneirla’s A/W theory is that stimuli of low intensity tend to elicit approach responses while stimuli of high intensity evoke withdrawal reactions. Such a pattern of responses, according to Schneirla, is basic to all adaptive behavior in animals. For example, the swooping of a hawk produces withdrawal reactions among hatchlings due to a sudden increase in retinal stimulation while the low-intensity licking of the newborn lamb produces head-turning and orienting toward mother. Overwhelming empirical support for this principle can also be found in studies of human infants. Differential responding to different tastes (Fox & Davidson, 1984; Lipsitt, 1978) and visual stimuli varying in novelty (Maisel & Karmel, 1978; Turkewitz, Gardner, & Lewkowicz, 1984) have been demonstrated. In an excellent review of infant visual approach behavior, Turkewitz and colleagues (1984) concluded that “for young infants, the source of input is relatively unimportant, and it is the overall amount of stimulation to which infants respond.”
