Conflicting reports (21) of the nature and strength of the grasping reflex in human infancy led to a more or less exhaustive examination of this early response. T h e study was conducted on infants at the hospital of the State Farm for Women at Niantic, C0nn.l Specifically, the investigation sought to determine the conditions under which the early grasping response occurs. Responses to different kinds of objects, i.e., wood, iron, hair, rod of nails, etc., which were placed against the palm, were obtained to determine preferential and shunned materials. Responses to contact pressure, strong pressure and "pull" were compared. The strength of the "clinging" response was determined for the individual fingers, for each hand, and for both hands simultaneously. T h e nature of responses by fingers and hands to a yielding object and the amount of pressure exerted in each instance were investigated. T h e relation of hunger and satiation to the grasping response was studied by noting the changes occurring in gripping pressure before, during, and after feeding periods.

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