Abstract
Two inbred strains of mice and their derived generations were tested for home cage emergence and open field behavior under two levels of environmental stimulation. The least timid (fast emerging) genotype was found to be most fearful (high defecation in open field), whereas the most timid strain was least fearful. In addition, exposure to a loud noise during testing consistently resulted in a decrease in emergence latency and an increase in open field defecation, i.e., environmental stimulation sufficient to decrease timidity increased fearfulness. This apparent paradox illustrates a major problem in interspecific behavioral comparisons;a priori analogic reasoning from human theory to animal model, without regard for the meaning of constructs in the behavioral organization and evolutionary adaptation of the species studied, often results in rigorous investigation of operationally defined behavioral constructs devoid of meaning.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Berlyne, D. E. (1960).Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Bindra, D. 1948. What makes rats hoard?Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,41, 397–402.
Broadhurst, P. L. (1958). Determinants of emotionality in the rat: III Strain differences.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,51, 55–9.
Broadhurst, P. L. (1960). Applications of biometrical genetics to the inheritance of behavior. In Eysenck, H. J. (Ed.)Experiments in personality. I: Psychogenetics and psychopharmacology, Routledge & Kegan, London, Paul, 3–102.
Bruell, J. H. In press. Genetics and adaptive significance of emotional defecation in mice. In Tobach, E. (Ed.)Experimental approaches to the study of emotional behavior.
DeFries, J. C. and Hegmann, J. P. (In press). Genetic analysis of openfield behavior. In Lindzey, G. and Thiessen, D. D. (Eds.)Contributions to behavior-genetic analysis: The mouse as a prototype.
Denenberg, V. H. (1967). Stimulation in infancy, emotional reactivity, and exploratory behavior. In Glass, D. C. (Ed.)Neurophysiology and emotion. Rockefeller University Press and Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 161–90.
Dixon, L. K. and DeFries, J. C. (1968). Effects of illumination on openfield behavior in mice.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,66, 803–5.
Farris, E. J. and Yeakel, E. H. (1945), Emotional behavior of grey Norway and Wistar albino rats.Journal of comparative Psychology,38, 109–17.
Glickman, S. E. and Hartz, K. E. (1964). Exploratory behavior in several species of rodents.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,58, 101–4.
Hall, C. S. (1934). Emotional behavior in the rat: I. Defecation and urination as measures of individual differences in emotionality.Journal of comparative Psychology,18, 385–403.
—, (1936), Emotional behavior in the rat: III. The relationship between emotionality and ambulatory activity.Journal of comparative Psychology,22, 345–52.
—. (1951). Individual differences. In Stone, C. P. (Ed.)Comparative psychology. Engle-...wood Cliffs, N. J., Prentice-Hall, 363–87.
Hegmann, J. P. and DeFries, J. C. (1968), Open-field behavior in mice: Genetic analysis of repeated measures.Psychonomic Science,13, 27–8.
Hodos, W. and Campbell, C. B. G. (1969),Scala Naturae: Why there is no theory in comparative psychology.Psychological Review,76, 337–50.
Johnson, W. A. (1964), Trends in escape and exploration.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,58, 431–5.
Klopfer, P. (1968), From Ardrey to altruism: A discourse on the biological basis of human behavior.Behavioral Science,13, 399–401.
Lindzey, G. (1951). Emotionality and audiogenic seizure susceptibility in five inbred strains of mice.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,44, 389–94.
Lindzey, G., Lykken, D. T., and Winston, H. D. (1960), Infantile trauma, genetic factors and adult temperament.Journal of abnormal and social Psychology,61, 7–14.
Lindzey, G., Winston, H., and Manosevitz, M. (1961), Social dominance in inbred mouse strains.Nature,191, 474–6.
Lindzey, G., Winston, H., and Manosevitz, M. (1963), Early experience, genotype, and temperament inMus musculus.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,56, 622–9.
Lindzey, G., Winston, H., and Whitney, G. D. (1964), Defecation in stressful and non-stressful situations.Psychonomic Science,1, 3–4.
Manosevitz, M. 1965. Genotype, fear, and hoarding.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,60, 412–6.
McClearn, G. E. (1959), The genetics of mouse behavior in novel situations.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,52, 62–7.
McReynolds, W. E., Weir, M. W., and DeFries, J. C. (1967), Open-field behavior in mice: Effect of test illumination.Psychonomic Science,9, 277–8.
Scott, J. P. (1955), The place of observation in biological and psychological science.American Psychologist,10, 61–4.
Scott, J. P. (1967), Biology and the emotions. In Glass, D. C. (Ed.)Neurophysiology and emotion. Rockefeller University Press and Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 190–200.
Southwick, C. H., and Clark, L. H. (1968), Interstrain differences in aggressive behavior and exploratory activity of inbred mice.Communications in behavioral biology, 1A, 49–59.
Stone, C. P. (1932), Wildness and savageness in rats of different strains. In Lashley, K. S. (Ed.)Studies in the dynamics of behavior. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3–55.
Tellegen, A. (1963),The effect of genetic and experimental factors upon emotional reactions in mice. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota), No. 63-1241. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Thompson, W. R. (1953), The inheritance of behavior: Behavioral differences in fifteen mouse strains.Canadian Journal of Psychology,7, 145–55.
— (1956). The inheritance of behavior. Activity differences in five inbred mouse strains.Journal of Heredity,47, 147–8.
Welker, W. I. (1957), “Free” versus “forced” exploration of a novel situation by rats.Psychological Reports,3, 95–108.
— (1959). Escape, exploratory, and food seeking responses of rats in a novel situation.Journal of comparative and physiological Psychology,52, 106–11.
Whitney, G. D. (1967),The genetics and interrelationships of alcohol preference and various indicants of emotionality in Mus musculus. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota) No. 67-7802, University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Winer, B. J. 1962.Statistical principles in experimental design, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This report is based on portions of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Minnesota. The author wishes to thank D. T. Lykken and G. Lindzey for guidance during phases of this work, and C. Katzenmeyer for assistance in analysis. A. Tellegen and T. Newell provided greatly appreciated opportunities for discussion. This research was supported in part by Grant MH-11030 to G. Lindzey and Fellowship 4-F1-MH-22, 321-03 to the author, from USPHS (NIMH).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Whitney, G. Timidity and fearfulness of laboratory mice: An illustration of problems in animal temperament. Behav Genet 1, 77–85 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067373
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067373