Whence Malleability? Gottlieb's Ducklings, Operant Contingency, and the Social Manifold

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schneider, Susan M. | Harshaw, Christopher

Affiliations: Florida International University, USA

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Susan M. Schneider, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, FAX: 305/348-3879. Email: [email protected]

Abstract: Gottlieb's (1991/2007) target article represents a milestone in our understanding of the impact of social experience on developmental malleability. Interactions across the species-typical and operant behavior categories are increasingly understood to exist. The social contingencies present in the normal species-typical developmental manifold are likely powerful contributors to malleability, development, and evolution.

Keywords: malleability, developmental systems theory, operant learning, contingency, northern bobwhite

DOI: 10.3233/DEV-2007-1305

Journal: International Journal of Developmental Science, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 234-238, 2007