Abstract
An experiment was performed to investigate the effects of various smells combined with tactile stimulation on the transport response in white rats. Thirty-eight 16-day-old rats were lightly suspended by the nape of the neck with a spring-mechanized clothespin. They then were given a series of stimulus presentations in an attempt to induce the transport response. Results showed that gently rubbing the mother against the pup’s snout or receiving a puff of water from an atomizer were effective in inducing the response. Also effective in inducing a response were having the pup’s snout gently rubbed with a brush inundated with the dam’s hair, being stroked with a brush inundated with dog hair, and being presented with the smell of orange extract while being brushed with a clean brush. Having the snout brushed with a clean brush with no additional stimulus did not produce a statistically reliable increase in transport-response intensity over a no-stimulus condition.
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This research was supported by a grant to the first author from the University Research Council at Sam Houston State University.
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Wilson, C., Gibson, C. Potentiation of the transport response with supplemental stimulation in white rats. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 29, 147–149 (1991). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335219
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335219