ABSTRACT
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SM ALL CHILD’S RESPONSE TO M ATERIALS
T he new-born child closes its hand around an object that touches its palm. This grasp response is entirely reflex and can be understood as a clinging to, rather than a concern with the nature of the object. This clinging, as J. B. Watson showed, is strong enough to enable ninety-six new-born children out of a hundred to support their own weight when suspended by the hands.
