Interactive effects of infantile and adult experiences upon weight gain and mortality in the rat.

Abstract

The effects of infantile handling and adult avoidance training upon body weight and susceptibility to starvation were studied. Handling in the first 20 days of life led to lower weight at 21 days of age; weight at 69 days was a complex function of amount of handling and adult experience. Avoidance learning reduced survival time, but to a lesser extent for rats which had been handled in infancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)