New CED Development Lev/Pierce Practice Test

Contact comfort describes the instinctual need to touch and be touched by something soft. In development studies, the strongest demonstration is that infants and primates seek the tactile reassurance of a soft, warm surface or being held, not just food. This comforting touch provides emotional security and helps regulate stress, showing that physical contact can be a fundamental source of comfort beyond nourishment. Attachment theory covers how bonds form and the resulting patterns of relationships, including secure or insecure-avoidant styles, but those terms describe overall attachment patterns rather than the specific impulse for tactile soothing.