creators_name: Kristal, Mark B. creators_name: Axelrod, Seymour creators_name: Noonan, Michael type: journalp datestamp: 1998-12-03 lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:54:16 metadata_visibility: show title: Learning in escape/avoidance tasks in female rats does not vary with reproductive condition ispublished: pub subjects: appl-cog-psy subjects: behav-anal subjects: behav-neuro-sci subjects: bio-ani-behav subjects: bio-ani-cog subjects: bio-behav subjects: bio-etho subjects: cog-psy subjects: comp-psy subjects: neuro-endocrin subjects: percep-cog-psy subjects: physio-psy subjects: psy-bio full_text_status: public keywords: Learning, maternal behavior, escape, avoidance, conditioning, hormones, reproduction, estrous, shuttlebox, estrus, diestrus, parturition, pregnancy, water maze abstract: To determine whether the development of novel stimulus-response associations by the mother during the periparturient period is attributable to a general facilitation of learning produced by the hormonal milieu during that period, learning ability under various reproductive conditions was assessed in two tasks unrelated to the periparturitional situation. The two tasks, selected because they equalized the various groups for motivation and performance variables, were acquisition of a water-maze escape (including two reversals), and acquisition and retention of an unsignalled shuttlebox shock avoidance. The groups tested in the water maze were a midpregnant group, an immediately prepartum group, and an immediately postpartum group. In the shuttlebox, the same conditions (different rats) were compared, together with a nonpregnant estrus condition, and a nonpregnant diestrus condition. The results of both experiments indicate that although learning occurred, the characteristics of acquisition and retention were not influenced by reproductive condition. date: 1978 date_type: published publication: Physiology & Behavior volume: 21 number: 2 pagerange: 251-256 refereed: TRUE citation: Kristal, Mark B. and Axelrod, Seymour and Noonan, Michael (1978) Learning in escape/avoidance tasks in female rats does not vary with reproductive condition. [Journal (Paginated)] document_url: http://cogprints.org/761/1/learn.htm