Abstract
The effect of communal housing on shock-induced aggression was investigated. Testing, which began after 18 rats had been evenly divided and confined to one of three communal cages for 30 days, indicated that only one pair from each of the three cages exhibited high rates of fighting. The other two pairs in each cage, on the other hand, displayed low and variable rates of aggression. In a second experiment, the animals in each communal cage were paired in round-robin fashion with all cagemates. The results showed that Ss displaying higher rates of aggression in Experiment I again exhibited high frequencies of fighting. Rates displayed by other Ss on the other hand, were a function of the particular pairing. Thus, some rats fought when confronted with a more aggressive protagonist. Others, however, did not fight, regardless of the composition of the match.
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This research was supported in part by Grant No. 19884 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
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Creer, T.L. Communal housing and shock-induced aggression. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 4, 51–53 (1974). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334193
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334193