Premium
Postnatal neural ontogeny: Environment‐dependent and/or environment‐expectant?
Author(s) -
Bekoff Marc,
Fox Michael W.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420050406
Subject(s) - nature versus nurture , ontogeny , psychology , heuristic , process (computing) , neural system , developmental psychology , neuroscience , biology , computer science , artificial intelligence , genetics , operating system
Recent advances in the study of postnatal neural development, an adaptive process dependent on an intimate interplay of both genetic and environmental factors, are reviewed in mouse, rat, cat, and man. Since developmental neuroanatomical studies provide a useful and relevant way of approaching the much belabored and controversial nature‐nurture issue, behaviorally oriented workers should be made aware of the heuristic value of the field as both an impetus and a guide for future research, and as a means for providing explanations for observations unexplainable at the ethological or behavioral descriptive level. The conclusion reached in this review is that postnatal neural ontogeny is both environment‐dependent and environment‐expectant. To divide the process into mutually exclusive halves is indefensible.