| Abstract: | Describes an objective, detailed analysis of the open-field behavior of 4 inbred strains of mice: A, BALB/C, C57BL/6, and DBA/2. During a 20-min period, 400 observations were made of the behavior of an S and scored into categories such as rearing, locomotion, grooming, sniffing at objects, freezing, etc. Significant differences between Ss of different strains were observed with regard to frequency of categories. The changes in frequency over time were strain-dependent for some behaviors. Some acts (e.g., rearing and grooming) occurred more frequently with the passage of time, whereas others changed little or decreased in frequency (e.g., sniffing at objects). The very infrequent occurrence of freezing behavior could not account for the large differences in activity between strains. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
