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Sensory regulation of maternal behavior in rats: Effects of pup age
Author(s) -
Stern Judith M.,
Mackin Diane A.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420110607
Subject(s) - licking , maternal deprivation , psychology , physiology , medicine , developmental psychology
Maternal behavior (retrieving, crouching, and licking) was induced in Sprague‐Dawley virgin female rats by constant exposure to pups aged 1‐2, 3‐4, 5‐6, 7‐8, 9‐10, 11‐12, 13‐14, or 15‐16 days. The incidence of spontaneous components of maternal behavior, notably retrieving, was geater towards pups 1‐8 days of age than towards older pups, whereas the occurrence of cannibalism did not differ as a function of pup age. With pups 1‐2 through 13‐14 days, the latency to onset of full maternal behavior was shortest with 1‐2‐day‐old pups (2‐day median) and longest with 13‐14‐day‐old pups (7‐day median). Females exposed to pups aged 3‐4 through 11‐12 days did not differ significantly in their latencies, the medians of which ranged from 4.0 to 5.5 days. Only 1 female out of 8 exposed to pups aged 15‐16 days became fully maternal, but 5 more displayed components of maternal responsiveness. The optimal nature of neonates and the general attractiveness of a wider range of pup ages as stimuli for the elicitation of maternal behavior in rats, as well as comparisons to mice and hamsters, were discussed.