Effects of early social deprivation on emotionality in rats.

Following parturition, 95 male Holtzman albino rat pups were separated from their mothers and randomly assigned to rearing conditions (a) with mother and peers, (b) with mother without peers, (c) in incubators with peers, or (d) in incubators in isolation. At 65 days of age Ss were tested daily in an open field for 3 min. over 6 consecutive days. At 113 days of age, Ss were restrained and presented a mild auditory stimulus and subsequently a noxious shock stimulus while heart rate recordings were taken. Higher emotionality in maternally-deprived Ss was evidenced in longer emergence latencies, lower ambulatory scores, and higher urination frequencies in the open field. Maternally-deprived Ss also gave larger heart rate responses to auditory and shock stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long- and short-term regulation of feeding patterns in the rat.

Analysis of feeding patterns in 3 experiments with a total of 22 male hooded Long-Evans and 4 Wistar rats showed that the amount of food eaten in relatively long intervals (24–72 hrs) was correlated with mean meal size but was essentially uncorrelated with meal frequency. Similarly, the regulatory adjustment in daily food intake occurring in response to changes in environmental temperature was found to be the result of an adjustment in mean meal size, with no change in meal frequency. In contrast, the amount of food eaten in relatively short intervals (3–22 hrs) was more highly correlated with meal frequency than with mean meal size, and a reliable correlation between meal size and the postmeal interval was obtained. The meal size/postmeal interval regression equation predicted the long-term relation between mean meal size and the amount of food eaten. Results indicate that meal frequency is controlled largely by short-term regulatory signals and that some of these signals affect meal size directly. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shyness and sociability.

Two studies investigated the relationship between shyness (tension and inhibition with others) and sociability (preference for being with others rather than being alone) using 952 undergraduates. A factor analysis of shyness and sociability items revealed 2 distinct factors, indicating that shyness and sociability are distinct personality dispositions. Self-reported shyness showed only a moderate negative correlation with self-reported sociability. Furthermore, the measures of shyness and sociability had different patterns of correlations with other personality scales (e.g., the Public and Private Self-Consciousness scales of the Self-Consciousness Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the EASI [Emotionality, Activity, Sociability, Impulsivity] Temperament Survey). On the basis of these findings, it is concluded that shyness is not just low sociability. Next, 4 groups of Ss were selected: shy–sociable, shy–unsociable, unshy–sociable, and unshy–unsociable. Pairs of these Ss, matched for both traits, interacted for 5 min. Shy–sociable Ss talked less, averted their gaze more, and engaged in more self-manipulation than did the other 3 groups. In studying social behavior, it should be known whether Ss are shy but also whether they are sociable. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of social reinforcement following social and sensory deprivation.

Prior to the presentation of a simple operant task, 72 boys and girls of CA 5-7 were placed in 1 of 3 deprivation conditions: (a) social and sensory, (b) social, (c) nondeprivation. The conditions differed according to the presence or absence of E and the presence or absence of interesting visual stimulation (viewing a colored, abstract film). During the 7 minutes of the experimental task Ss were socially reinforced by supportive comments twice each minute after the 1st, base-line minute. In the analysis of changes in performance following the 1st minute, significant effects were found for (a) deprivation condition (C), (b) sex of S (S), (c) age of S (A), (d) minutes (M) X S X C, and (e) M X C X A. It was concluded that isolation has differential effects on performance as a function of age and sex of S, and that the effects of isolation were related more to the sensory components of the situation than to the social components. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early social deprivation disrupts attentional, but not affective, shifts in rats.

This study examined the effects of early social deprivation in rats in 2 dissociable forms of inhibitory control of behavior that operate at 2 different levels of response selection: reversing the assignment of stimulus–reward associations within perceptual dimensions (affective shifts) and switching selective attention from 1 perceptual dimension to another (attentional shifts). Isolated Ss (isolates) and social controls (socials) were individually trained to spatial and nonspatial visual discrimination criteria on a radial arm maze. Whereas isolates and socials differed in neither acquisition nor reversal of both versions of the task, isolates were selectively impaired in shifting from spatial to nonspatial discrimination and vice versa. These findings demonstrate that isolation rearing selectively disrupts inhibitory control in attentional selection but leaves inhibitory control in affective processing intact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commitment to social deprivation and verbal conditioning.

Control Ss who experienced high prior deprivation of a reinforcing stimulus (approval) responded more with a reinforced response in a verbal conditioning situation than Ss less deprived. Other Ss committed themselves to undergoing postexperimental deprivation of social reinforcement after the same high prior social deprivation. A model suggested by dissonance theory predicted that such Ss who committed themselves for lower rewards would experience greater dissonance; the greater the dissonance, the more could Ss justify their decisions and reduce dissonance by reducing their motive for social reinforcement, consequently behaving in the conditioning situation as Ss who had low motivation for social reinforcement. As expected, experimental Ss in the High Dissonance condition who committed themselves for low reward ($1.00) responded less to social reinforcement, i.e., they showed a smaller increase in response strength of emission of verbal behavior than Control Ss or Low Dissonance Ss who committed themselves for high reward ($5.00). (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early social deprivation induces disturbed social communication and violent aggression in adulthood.

Disturbed social relations during childhood (e.g., social neglect) often lead to aggression-related psychopathologies in adulthood. Social isolation also increased aggressiveness in laboratory animals. Here the authors show in rats, that social isolation from weaning not only increases the level of aggressiveness, but results in abnormal attack patterns and deficits in social communication. In socially deprived rats, the share of attacks aimed at vulnerable body parts of opponents (head, throat, and belly) dramatically increased and the attack/threat ratio was shifted toward attacks, suggesting a decrease in intention signaling. Moreover, a Multiple Regression Analysis showed that the nonassociation of attacks with offensive threats predicted the occurrence of vulnerable attacks with 81.1% accuracy. The authors suggest that the social deprivation-induced abnormal aggression models the aggression-related problems resulting from early social neglect in humans, and studies on its brain mechanisms may increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying psychopathologies resulting from early social problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance deficits following short-term partial sleep deprivation and subsequent recovery oversleeping.

Tested the effects on performance of 1 and 5 cumulative nights of partial sleep deprivation (PSD; less than 40% per night) and 1 and 2 nights of subsequent recovery oversleep (+40%, +20% respectively), compared to pre- and postbaselines in 7 undergraduates (18–23 yrs). Assessment measures included the standard 1-hr Wilkinson auditory vigilance test, 2 RT tests, the Stanford Sleepiness Scale, and Ss' self-ratings. The experiment lasted 8 days, and Ss were tested twice each day for 2 hrs. Results show deficits in performance on the vigilance and RT tests, as well as lower self-ratings of alertness and energy and other transient deficits after 5 nights PSD. Time of day effects were most pronounced on the initial days following sleep reduction or gain. Results indicate that a typical work week of undersleeping on weekdays and oversleeping on weekends may produce performance deficits. This may be due to a sudden shift in the phase of sleep, rather than sleep loss per se. (French abstract) (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Security of attachment and stranger sociability in infancy.

Examined the relationship between stranger sociability and the security of the infant–mother attachment relationship in 43 infants observed at 12? mo and again at 19? mo of age. The sociability measure was a sequential-initiatives procedure and was followed by the Ainsworth Strange Situation (ASS). Reaction in the ASS allowed Ss to be classified as securely attached (B), avoidant (A), or resistant (C). Subgroups within these classifications reflect variation in reunion behaviors. At both ages, Ss in subgroups B? and B? had the highest sociability scores, whereas A? and C? Ss had the lowest. Analysis of the relationship between stranger sociability and interactive behaviors in the ASS revealed the centrality of a distal interactive mode in both contexts. Because of a high incidence of family change, only 53% of Ss had the same overall attachment classification at both ages. Sociability scores at 12? and 19? mo were highly correlated when attachment status was temporally consistent. Absolute changes in sociability scores reflected a similar pattern of results. Cross-lagged correlational analyses suggested that predictive relationships with the security of attachment are meaningful only when attachment status itself is consistent over time. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of brief social deprivation on behaviors for a social reinforcer.

Method used, variables observed, and results are outlined and discussed. Adult approval was found to have definite reinforcing value; the effectiveness may be enhanced by an operation of deprivation. 22 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mmpi dimensions of sociability and impulse control.

Attempted to differentiate clusters of impulsivity and sociability in the mmpi item pool and to derive scales for their measurement. An impulsivity (im) and a sociability (sy) scale were derived from mmpis given to 175 male abnormal offenders. A validation study with 99 additional ss showed reliabilities for im and sy of .84 and .82 with no significant correlation between them. The 2 scales also reflected the interaction of neuroticism and extroversion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preinstitutional social deprivation and IQ changes among institutionalized retarded children.

Administered Stanford-Binets to 52 familial and 58 nonfamilial 9-11 yr. old retardates prior to institutionalization and each yr. thereafter for 5 yr. Ratings of preinstitutional social deprivation were secured for all Ss. The nonfamilials were characterized by less severe preinstitutional deprivation and, through the course of institutionalization, increasingly greater losses in IQ. Magnitude of IQ decrease was related to the degree of preinstitutional deprivation among both familials and nonfamilials. Findings are largely consistent with the hypothesis that IQ changes in debilitating motivational factors rather than in cognitive functioning. Differences between the findings of this and earlier studies suggested that different institutions have different effects on their residents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sensory preconditioning in rats following early visual deprivation.

Conducted 3 experiments in which a total of 131 light- and dark-reared (LR and DR) male hooded rats were given sensory preconditioning (SPC). In each experiment, Ss were presented with 2 stimuli either paired or unpaired, followed by conditioning to 1 and extinction on the other. 2 auditory stimuli were used in Exp. I. SPC was found for both LR and DR Ss, with no significant difference due to rearing condition either in acquisition or in the SPC test. In Exp. II, light and tone were employed; SPC was demonstrated and was more effective for LR than DR Ss. In Exp. III, rectangle stimuli were employed. The effect of SPC was evidenced in LR Ss; however, performance of DR Ss was not significantly different from that of controls. Results are discussed in terms of the effect of early visual deprivation on information-processing mechanisms. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggression and social experience in domesticated rats.

Conducted an experiment with 48 male and 28 female Long-Evans rats. Small colonies were established, using adult Ss that had either received continuous social experience or had been isolated since weaning. Unfamiliar intruder rats-with or without postweaning social experience-were exposed individually to the colonies for a 21-hr period. Behavioral observations and an assessment of the intruder's physical condition indicated that serious fighting, physical injuries, and large weight losses occurred only when an isolation-reared intruder was placed into a colony of socially experienced Ss. Results demonstrate that aggression is a joint function of the rearing history of both the colony and the intruder and that social experience plays an important role in the behavioral development of this species. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing perceived social inequity: A relative deprivation framework.

The set of studies presented describes a theoretically based method of assessing perceived social inequity and illustrates the approach through the development of an instrument assessing this experience in women's lives. The Perceived Social Inequity Scale—Women's Form (PSIS—W) is grounded in relative deprivation theory (Davis, 1959), which states that discontent results from recognition of an unfair discrepancy between one's own situation and that of others. The psychometric quality of the 26-item PSIS—W is supported by consistent results across two factor analyses, strong temporal stability over 1- and 4-month intervals, and relationships found between it and a number of predicted variables. Implications for theory and research in the areas of social inequity, social stigma, and stereotype perception are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral analysis of the saccharin deprivation effect in rats.

The deprivation effect (DE)--an increase in the level of free-choice consumption of alcohol after a period of forced abstinence--may reflect relapselike drinking and be relevant for modeling alcohol abuse. However, the behavioral mechanisms of the DE are unclear. In these experiments, rats had unlimited free-choice access to water and saccharin-containing solutions and underwent repeated episodes of saccharin deprivation. It was found that DE magnitude correlates positively with the deprivation phase duration, expression of the DE is highly context dependent, and the DE can be prevented by extinguishing response to the saccharin-associated stimuli. Thus, DE procedures may be useful for studying the effects of continued exposure to stimuli associated with various primary reinforcers such as drugs of abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sodium appetite in adrenalectomized rats following dietary sodium deprivation.

Experimented with operated, sham-operated, and comparison male Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 74). Adrenalectomized (Adrex) rats adjusted well during adrenal insufficiency when saline solutions were available. Despite continuous uncontrolled losses of relatively large amounts of sodium in their urine, they managed to maintain body fluids at approximately normal levels by replacing crucial sodium losses, if only temporarily, through frequent intakes of saline. It is concluded that the threshold for sodium appetite in Adrex rats is associated with relatively small sodium deficits, and roughly similar deficits also are effective in stimulating sodium appetite in intact Ss. When more pronounced losses result from maintenance on a sodium-free diet, Adrex Ss rapidly drink more than enough saline to replace their deficits. Thus, it seems evident that mineralocorticoids need not have a vital role in either the initial salt-drinking response of intact Ss to minor sodium deficits or their overcompensation for moderate sodium deficits. (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal deprivation potentiates pituitary-adrenal stress responses in infant rats.

Examined the effect of maternal deprivation on the pituitary-adrenal response of 12-, 16-, and 20-day-old rat pups to novelty stress. Infants were either deprived individually in heated incubators or left in the home nest with their mother and then tested for corticosteroid response to 30-min exposure to a novel test arena. In Exp 1, the magnitude of the stress response (SR) was a positively accelerated function of the deprivation interval. SRs were not increased after 1 hr of deprivation, were modestly increased after 8 hrs of deprivation, and were dramatically increased after 24 hrs of deprivation. Exp 2 investigated whether potentiation of the SR resulted from the maternal or the nutritive components of the deprivation procedure. Pups were tested under 1 of 4 treatment conditions formed by a 2 (Maternally Deprived vs Nondeprived)?×?2 (Nutritively Deprived vs Nondeprived) factorial design. At 12 and 16 days of age, potentiation of the SR was traced to the absence of maternal care and not nutrients. At 20 days of age, both maternal and nutritive deprivation contributed to the potentiated SR. Exp 3 showed that this effect was mediated by increased adrenocortical sensitivity to ACTH, because the corticosteroid response to exogenous ACTH administration was also increased by maternal deprivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)