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Huddling and independent feeding of neonatal rats can be facilitated by a conditioned change in behavioral state
Author(s) -
Sullivan Regina M.,
Brake Stephan C.,
Hofer Myron A.,
Williams Christina L.
Publication year - 1986
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.420190613
Subject(s) - odor , psychology , developmental psychology , sensory stimulation therapy , stimulation , audiology , medicine , neuroscience
Infant rat pups were exposed to a novel odor (orange or cedar) while they received tactile stimulation (stroking of the body) or were presented with odor or stroking alone. The effects of these treatments were assessed on pups' performance in a huddling test (Experiment 1 and 2) and an independent feeding test (Experiment 3). During these tests, only pups that had received the simultaneous presentation of the odor and stroking exhibited an increase in huddling and feeding. The increase in these behaviors was dependent on the presence of the conditioned odor during testing.