[ Summary ] · Chapter 4.4 : Behaviors

Development and acquisition
of the complex behaviors

[ NB : Provisional texts. Level of writing : 2/5 ]

only available in French and partly in English.

Presentation & Content

Study of the gradual learning dynamics of the most complex behaviours during the development : communication, aggression, parental and sexuality, speech and socialisation.

Summary

There would not be genes, "instincts" or "wiring" controlling the most complex human behaviors (sexuality, maternal, aggression, language, ...). These behaviors would be acquired, essentially because of particular circumstances present in the environment, and because of the processes of learning and information processing.

Plan of the chapter

A - General dynamics of learning

a - Dynamics of acquisition

b - Specificity of the processes of behaviors learning

B - Complex behaviors

a - Parental

b - Hedonic

c - Aggression

A - General dynamics of learning

[ NB : Currently, detailed and updated texts are only available in French ]

a - Dynamics of acquisition

The objective is to characterise the particular dynamics of learning complex behaviors, in particular those acquired in a circumstantial way, during the development and the interaction with the environment.

Figure 4.4-1 : Dynamics of acquisition reduced

The most complex human behaviors would be acquired during the multiple interactions between the processes underlying the satisfaction of the psychobiological needs, the particular and specific processes underlying the information processing and the particular characteristics of each type of environment : uterine, ecological and cultural.

For each complex behavior, the gradual learning during the development, would result from the interaction of certain specific needs and/or certain also specific operations of information processing and/or certain characteristics of the environment, also specific.

The complex behaviors would be acquired, and acquired by the nonspecific activity of the general processes of information processing.

b - Specificity of the processes of behaviors learning : Developmental, circumstantial and cultural

The objective is to understand and characterise the diversity of the processes of learning and acquisition of the behaviors. At the current level of research, it would seem that certain behaviors would be acquired by the simple development of the organism, others owing to quite precise environmental circumstances, and others finally, would only depend on the cultural influence.

Developmental acquisition

It would seem that certain behaviors or processes appear during the development, only by the simple "cognitive maturation" of the central nervous system. This "cognitive maturation" would correspond, on the one hand, with the association and the progressive coordination of elementary reflexes (for example, development of visuomotor coordination), and, on the other hand, with the acquisition of cognitive competences which will modify the range of more elementary processes (for example, the acquisition of the cognitive capacity of causal inference takes part in the development of the process of anger from that of rage ; one can also give as examples fear, cognitive forms of anxiety, or attention, cognitive forms of orientation). These behaviors or processes, although not being "innate", would slightly be influenced by culture or education.

Circumstantial acquisition

It would seem that certain behaviors appear during the development in reaction to quite particular events, which would exist whatever the cultural or environmental context. One can give as an example maternal behavior, which seems to emerge and differentiate itself mainly by the fact that from time immemorial and in every culture mothers give birth and nurture new-born babies. Aggression and sexuality would also be circumstantial acquisition. These behaviors would not be "innate", but would result from a learning, underlain by the emergent functional properties (association, reinforcement, learning and memory, emotional and cognitive factors, …). These behaviors would be moderately influenced by culture or education.

Cultural acquisition

It would seem that certain behaviors appear during the development under the influence of the cultural characteristics of the social membership group. One can give as an example the spoken language, the spiritual or culinary behavior, … These behaviors would not be "innate" but entirely learnt, and would seem to depend only on the cultural context. These behaviors thus would be strongly influenced by education.

B - Complex behaviors

For example, the results in progress concerning the parental, hedonic behaviors and that of aggression are given below.

a - Parental (Maternal and Paternal)

Parental behavior would be mainly acquired in the course of many interactions with new-born babies and children. The "offspring" would be the "circumstantial factor", present in the environment whatever the ecological and sociocultural context, which induces the learning of parental behavior.

There would not seem to exist molecules, structures or networks of structures proper to maternal or paternal behavior. Parental behavior would seem to emerge from the activity of the general and non specific processes of learning and information processing.

The key factors of the learning of parental behavior would be the weak influence – at the level of the central nervous system and not at the level of the anatomical organisation of the reproductive organs – of the genetic, hormonal and pheromonal factors, and the strong influence of the processes of orientation and attention, somatosensory reinforcements and attachment, and the strong influences of the cognitive processes of abstraction, categorisation, significance and symbolisation.

Figure 4.4-2 : Acquisition of maternal behavior reduced

According to these data, it would seem that the parental behavior (maternal and paternal) does not depend on an "instinct", but would rather be a circumstantial acquisition and a cultural construct. An element of confirmation of this hypothesis would be the existence, historically or ethnographically, of social group characterised by the absence of interest or attachment for their children (Badinter 1980).

b - Hedonic

[ NB : Currently, detailed and updated texts are only available in French ]

It would seem necessary to distinguish an initial, more general hedonic behavior, characterised by a search for various and many feelings of pleasures, and, secondarily, all the diversity of the sensory components of this behavior : pleasures of taste (gastronomy), of olfaction (perfumes), of hearing (music), of vision (visual arts), and of somatosensory sense (sexuality).

It would seem that in accordance with the times and the cultural standards, certain components would be developed and sometimes others prohibited, which would thus induce variable differentiations of hedonic behavior in culturally distinct under-behaviors.
One of the differentiations of hedonic behavior, well characterised in our culture, would be the behavior known as sexual.

In our Judeo-Christian culture, it seems that sexuality is a behavior loaded with affects and moral values, where it is sometimes difficult for researchers to remain rigorous and objective (for example, see Binet 1944).

In a not ethnocentric and not chronocentric approach, the behavior known as sexual, which would be acquired, could be defined as being the search for certain "somatosensory pleasures" (Prescott 1996). It would seem that this behavior comes, mainly, from a "cognitive construction" starting from "rewarding somatosensory reinforcements"

The key factors of the learning of sexual behavior would be the weak influence – at the level of the central nervous system and not at the level of the anatomical organisation of the sexual organs – of the genetic, hormonal and pheromonal factors, and the strong influence of the processes of erotic excitation, orgasm, and somatosensory reinforcements, and the strong influence of the processes of categorisation and signification.

Figure 4.4-3 : Acquisition of sexual behavior reduced

According to these data, it would seem that sexual behavior does not depend on an "instinct", but would be rather a circumstantial acquisition and a cultural construct. It would seem that human sexuality is neither a hetero-, nor a homo- or even a bisexuality, but rather a "potential pan-sexuality", where sexual behavior would take the forms corresponding to the environmental and cultural context. An element of confirmation of this hypothesis would be the existence, historically, ethologically and ethnographically, of a very great diversity of the behaviors known as sexual, both in man and in primates (Ford & Beach 1965).

c - Aggression

The behavior of aggression would be mainly acquired in the course of many inadequate emotional interactions with the environment and with the others. The "inadequate interaction" would be the "circumstantial factor" constantly present in the environment, inductor of the learning of the behavior of aggression.
Another major factor of the acquisition of the behavior of aggression is an instrumental factor, of reinforcement of the aggressive behavior after success of the action.

There would not seem to exist molecules, structures or networks of structures proper to the behavior of aggression. The behavior of aggression would seem to emerge from the activity of the general and non specific processes of learning and information processing.

The key factors of the learning of the behavior of aggression would be, mainly and initially, the existence of the emotional processes of fear, pain and rage, the existence of the cognitive processes of frustration and causal attribution, and the determining influence of the processes of reinforcement.

Figure 4.4-4 : Acquisition of aggressive behavior reduced

According to these data, it would seem that the behavior of aggression does not depend on an "instinct" or a "behavioral repertory", but would rather be a circumstantial (resulting from inadequate interactions with the environment) or instrumental (related to the success of the action) acquisition. An element of confirmation of this hypothesis would be the existence, historically or ethnographically, of social groups characterised by the almost lack of behavior of aggression (for example, the ethnic group Semaï in Indonesia).