Doing what comes naturally: The role of self generated experience in behavioral development

Gottlieb used naturalistic observations of normally occurring events in the life history of individuals for the purpose of discovering the role of experience in the development of species-typical behaviors. His research revealed the impact of self-generated experiences (particularly those experiences that were self-stimulated) in the establishment of the universality of developmental traits. Some examples are described that highlight the differences between the direct (self-stimulative) and indirect influences (eliciting changes in the social and physical environment) of self-generated experience on the developmental progression of species-typical behavior. The development of species typical traits such as reproductive behaviors in birds and handedness in human infants is presented as examples of how self-generated experience can contribute toward the understanding of the development of behavioral traits.