Abstract
Maternal aggression was not affected by a brief (1 min) interval of pup separation and was not dependent upon the behavior of male intruders. Dams’ latency to attack increased significantly within 4 h of pup removal. Duration of offense was decreased by 8 h of separation and all aggression was abolished after 24 h of separation. The results demonstrate that the short-term maintenance of maternal aggression does not depend on pup stimulation or the behavior of male intruders. Maternal aggression decreases systematically, however, when pups are absent for longer intervals.
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Flannelly, K.J., Kemble, E.D. The effect of pup presence and intruder behavior on maternal aggression in rats. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 25, 133–135 (1987). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330306
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330306