Abstract

The aim of the present study is to review the existing literature on Nonnutritive Sucking (NNS) as a tool for investigating neonatal capabilities. Three research areas where NNS was utilized with newborn and infants are considered: regulation of states, visual scanning, attentional processes. In the light of new reported data concerning the relation between NNS and processing of visual and acoustic information at birth, a comprehensive interpretative framework is presented to explain the apparently contradictory results emerging from the three outlined research fields.