An Introduction to Child Psychology

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V NON-LEARNED HUMAN BEHAVIOR The problems of human behavior. The sum total of all responses made by an organism to the stimuli from its environment has come recently to be spoken of by comparative biologists and psychologists as its behavior. The term is inclusive of mental as well as physical and physiological activities. In this there is the advantage of an implied recognition of the fact of the unity of all life processes, for whatever the ultimate decision may be as to the kind of relationship existing between mind and body, the fact of a relationship is not to be denied. Life is one, and is to be understood only when studied as a biological unity. Approaching the study of behavior from the biological point of view it is necessary to consider such problems as its chemo-physical basis, its anatomical and physiological correlates, its nature, its genesis, the types into which it falls, and their relationships and functions. In this chapter we undertake a very brief consideration of these problems. The chemo-physical basis of behavior. All organic life responds to external influences acting upon it. Even the amceba has been observed by Jennings and others to go through quite a complex series of related movements in response to stimuli of certain kinds. Such responses in the lowest forms of animal life have their basis in the intrinsic mobility and plasticity of organic matter itself. We cannot here discuss in detail the chemical and physical properties which explain the irritability of organic matter, but must assume them as the basis of all behavior as well as the basis of organic evolution. Without these qualities matter remains inert and lifeless. Genetically speaking, the simplest form of behavior is a gross chemo-physical...