An attempt to isolate critical periods of development in the rat.

Abstract

"In an attempt to isolate critical periods in development, infant rats were handled on Days 1-3, 3-5, 6-8, 8-10, or 6-10. They were weighed at 21 days, received avoidance training from 60 to 69 days, were weighed at 69 days, and then placed on a terminal deprivation schedule until death occurred. Significant differences among the groups were obtained on all measures except 21-day body weight. It was concluded that both Ss' age and the number of days of handling are critical parameters affecting later behavior." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)