BEHAVIORAL ACTIVATION AND LEARNING IN THE INFANT RAT (ODOR, ORIENTATION, HUDDLING).
Item
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Title
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BEHAVIORAL ACTIVATION AND LEARNING IN THE INFANT RAT (ODOR, ORIENTATION, HUDDLING).
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Identifier
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AAI8409421
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identifier
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8409421
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Creator
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SULLIVAN, REGINA MARIE.
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Contributor
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Gerald Turkewitz
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Date
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1984
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Experimental
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Abstract
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The ability of an olfactory stimulus to modify behavior is dependent upon the pup's prior experience with that odor. The present experiments explore one way in which an odor may acquire this ability. Pups were exposed simultaneously to an odor and a stimulus which produces behavioral activation.;The first series of experiments involved orientation to the source of an odor and was designed to determine whether the simultaneous presentation of an odor and a behaviorally activating stimulus could modify orientation to an odor. 3 to 6-day-old rat pups received a 10 min exposure to orange odor and a behaviorally activating stimulus (either tail pinching, stroking or odor of maternal saliva). 1 hr after treatment a choice test (orange odor vs. pine odor) was given. The results show that the orange odor is subsequenty capable of modifying orientation only when it has previously been simultaneously paired with a behaviorally activating stimuli.;The second series of experiments was designed to (1) explore the generality of the effects of this odor treatment procedure on other behaviors (huddling and feeding) and to determine whether the presence of the odor enhances responding of the experimental group or inhibits the responding of the control groups. 5-day-old rat pups were given a 10 min exposure to orange odor and stroking. A huddling or feeding test was given 1 hr later either with or without the presence of orange odor. Feeding was not modified. Huddling was only modified in the pups that were simultaneously exposed to orange odor and stroking and were tested in the presence of orange odor.;These results suggest that the simultaneous presentation of an odor and a behaviorally activating stimulus produces a general enhancement in responsiveness to stimuli encountered in the presence of that odor.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
