Effects of prior experience with objects on maternal behaviors in the rat.

Abstract

Female rats were reared in cages containing movable, immovable, or no objects. 18 days after mating they were placed in testing cages and maternal behaviors were recorded. Ss reared with no objects exhibited a delay in onset of preparturient nest construction. No postparturient differences between groups were observed, even in a replication in which no Ss built nests prior to parturition. Results are discussed in terms of importance of objects in physically defining a nesting area in which maternal behaviors can be localized, and effects of parturition on nesting corner differentiation.