Effect of maternal presence on the cardiac and behavioral responses to shock in rats as a function of age.
In two experiments the effects of the presence of an anesthetized lactating dam on the developing rat's response to a series of mildly painful shocks was examined. Both cardiac and behavioral responses to the shock stimulus were recorded. In the first experiment animals were tested at either 16, 20, or 24 days of age. The presence of the anesthetized dam markedly reduced the behavioral response to shock of the 16-day-old but not the older rats. A similar pattern of results was obtained with the shock-elicited tachycardia. The second experiment replicated these results with the 16-day-old rat and also demonstrated that being shocked in the presence of a lactating dam influences the animal's reaction to a subsequent series of shocks given when it is alone. The results of these two experiments are discussed in terms of other studies that have examined the influence of maternal presence on the developing animal's response to stressful or painful stimuli.
Richardson
R
R
Department of Psychology, Princeton University, New Jersey.
Siegel
M A
MA
Campbell
B A
BA
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D009035:Mothers; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains