CLINICAL STUDIES ON ATTACHMENT (BONDING) AND ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR IN VARIOUS SPECIES ARE CITED. IT IS NOTED THAT A IMPLICATION OF ATTACHMENT THEORY IS THAT, BECAUSE A BABY'S ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR IS ADAPTED TO AN ENVIRONMENT CONTAINING A RESPONSIVE MOTHER FIGURE, GROSS DEFICIENCIES OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT MAY RESULT FROM REARING CONDITIONS THAT DEPART TOO RADICALLY FROM THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT TO WHICH THE BABY'S ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR HAS ADAPTED THROUGH EVOLUTION. STUDIES ARE CITED INDICATING THAT THE TYPE AND AMOUNT OF SOCIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMAN MOTHERS AND INFANTS IN THE IMMEDIATE POST PARTUM PERIOD CAN INFLUENCE THE MOTHER'S SUBSEQUENT BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE INFANT. SOME STUDIES SUGGEST THAT TEMPORARY SEPARATION OF MOTHER AND INFANT IMMEDIATE AFTER BIRTH ADVERSELY AFFECTS SUBSEQUENT MATERNAL BEHAVIOR. THE FIRST 2 HOURS AFTER BIRTH APPEAR TO BE PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT. IT IS POINTED OUT THAT COMMON HOSPITAL PRACTICES OF IMMEDIATELY SEPARATING MOTHERS AND INFANTS AFTER BIRTH GO AGAINST SUCH FINDINGS. A QUESTION-ANDANSWER EXCHANGE ACCOMPANIES THE TESTIMONY. -- IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH. (LKM)