Exploration and Attachment Behaviour in Infant Guinea Pigs

Abstract

Individual infant guinea pigs were tested oncde a week during the first 4 weeks of life in a square enclosure which was separated from a smaller enclosure (confinement cage) by a wire-mesh partition. In the Experimental condition (E) the mother and siblings of the subject were present in the confinement cage during testing - while in the Control condition (C) the confinement cage was empty during testing. The young guinea pigs tested in the presence of the mother and siblings displayed a much greater level of activity (i.e. exploratory behaviour) than did those tested with the empty confinement cage. They thus appeared to use the mother and/or siblings as a base from which to explore a novel environment. Exploratory behaviour in condition E showed a significant increase between weeks I and 2 (possibly due to the waning of an initial immobility reaction), and a gradual decline over weeks 3 and 4 (believed to be due to habituation to the test enclosure). In condition C, there were no significant differences in activity between trials. The guinea pigs tested in the presence of the mother and siblings spent significantly more time near the wire partition separating the test enclosure from the confinement cage than did the control subjects - for whom the confinement cage was empty. Subjects in condition E spent significantly more time in the proximity of the mother and siblings during weeks 2-4 as compared to week I. The responsiveness of the young guinea pigs to conspecifics therefore appears to have increased over the first 2 weeks post-partum. The possible adaptive significance of the interaction between exploration and attachment behaviour was discussed.

Hormonal and behavioral attachment responses in infant guinea pigs

“…The pups also appear to use the mother (and possibly littermates) as a "secure base" (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1971) from which to explore the environment. That is, Porter, Berryman, and Fullerton (1973b) found that the activity of infant guinea pigs in an open field was greater when the mother and littermates were restrained in a corner of the cage than was the case when the pup was tested alone. Furthermore, separation from the mother produces a characteristic sign of infant distress, repeated emission of a high-pitched whistle (Herman & Panksepp, 1978;Pettijohn, 1979a).…”

Comparison of the effects of the mother and an unfamiliar adult female on cortisol and behavioral responses of pre- and postweaning guinea pigs

“…Maternal behavior is quite passive. From shortly after birth, the young are primarily responsible for maintaining contact with the mother and they exhibit evidence of attachment to her Porter, Berryman, & Fullerton, 1973). When separated from the mother and placed into a novel environment, the young vocalize at high rates and show marked activation of the hypothalamic -pituitary -adrenal (HPA) system; the presence of the mother in the novel environment greatly reduces or eliminates these responses Hennessy, Tamborski, Schiml, & Lucot, 1989).…”

Social attachment of the infant guinea pig to its parents in a two-choice situation

“…However, another interpretation is possible, based on the work of Porter, Berryman, and Fullerton (1973), who found that infant guinea pigs showed a higher exploration rate when the mother was present although confined. In the current research, the subjects might have feIt secure even in the farthest corner of the box.…”

“…Thus, caution should be taken to insure that the subject is familiar with both test stimuli. Porter, Fullerton, and Berryman (1973) tested infant guinea pigs in a two-choice situation for either their own mother or another lactating female (with whom they had also been housed). The infant guinea pigs showed Reprint requests should be sent to Terry F. Pettijohn, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Marion, Ohio 43302.…”