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Patrick Bateson examines how behaviour develops through the continuing interaction of an organism with its surroundings. He questions the familiar division between nature and nurture, showing why neither inherited characteristics nor experience alone provides a sufficient explanation for the behaviour of humans and other animals.
The discussion ranges across imprinting, parent-offspring communication, play, learning and adaptability. Bateson uses these subjects to explore how developing animals respond to their environments and how their own activities help shape the conditions in which development occurs. The emphasis is on systems and reciprocal relationships rather than a search for a single controlling cause.
The final connections extend from individual development to evolutionary change. Behaviour can create new opportunities and pressures, influencing the circumstances in which natural selection operates. Written for readers interested in biology and human development, the book links research in animal behaviour with broader questions about flexibility, change and the capacities of living organisms.