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Determinants of suckling versus drinking in weanling albino rats: Influence of hydrational state and maternal contact
Author(s) -
Bruno John P.,
Blass Elliott M.,
Amin Farid
Publication year - 1983
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.420160304
Subject(s) - weanling , weaning , psychology , developmental psychology , zoology , physiology , endocrinology , medicine , biology
Preferences of weanling albino rats (15, 20, and 25 days of age) for nonnutritive suckling or drinking were determined using a Y‐maze. Age, hydrational state, and the opportunity to contact the mother all influenced choice behavior. When tested in a maze that allowed continuous maternal contact in the “drinking‐goal box,” dehydrated rats chose to drink, while nondehydrated rats chose to suckle. Testing dehydrated rats in a maze that precluded maternal contact in the “drinking‐goal box” eliminated drinking preference at all ages. These observations identify maternal presence as an important condition for the expression of drinking behavior during the weaning period and confirm our previous demonstration of dehydration's inhibition of suckling behavior.