Huddling and independent feeding of neonatal rats can be facilitated by a conditioned change in behavioral state.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

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.

Full Text

Published version (via Digital Object Identifier)

Duke Authors

Williams, Christina L.

Cited Authors

Sullivan, RM; Brake, SC; Hofer, MA; Williams, CL

Published Date

November 1986

Published In

Developmental Psychobiology

Volume / Issue

19 / 6

Start / End Page

625 - 635

PubMed ID

3803730

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

1098-2302

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0012-1630

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1002/dev.420190613

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