NOVELTY AND GROOMING BEHAVIOR IN THE RAT

Exposure to novelty (preobservation transportation, injection, and novel environment) enhances the display of grooming behavior in the rat. Enhanced grooming is still observed after repeated exposure during 5 consecutive days and does not result in a diminished behavioral response. As hypophysectomized animals also show novelty-induced grooming it is concluded that the behavioral response does not depend on integrity of the pituitary-adrenal system. Analysis of the temporal aspects of the behavior reveals a difference in the effects of environmental stimuli present before or during behavioral analysis and it is argued that the displayed behavior may be related primarily to the activating influence of environmental stimuli. © 1979 Academic Press, Inc.