Effect of Foster-mothers' Strain and Pre-natal Experience on Adult Behaviour in Rats

Abstract

THE examination of the effects of the experiences of one generation on the behaviour of their offspring is of intrinsic interest. It is also of importance in relation to experiments in both psychogenetics and the study of the effects of pre-natal environments. Experiments with rodents have shown that both the strain and the early experiences of foster-parents can affect the later behaviour of the offspring they rear. Thus Ressler¹ showed that the strain of the foster-parents of mice can affect the later exploratory behaviour of the fostered offspring. Such effects may be mediated by differences in parental behaviour towards the pups², and, since the behaviour of parent animals can be affected by their own experiences, the behaviour of an organism can thus be affected by the previous experience of the parents which rear it.