LEE, DN; TANG-MARTINEZ, Z; Univ of Missouri, St. Louis; Univ of Missouri, St. Louis: The effects of early social environment on the exploratory behavior of prairie voles: Evaluation of methodologies

In this study, I examined the effects of pre-weaning social environment on exploratory behavior of prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster . I predicted that individuals that grew up without siblings and fathers would be less exploratory in novel environments. On the other hand, individuals raised in two-parent families were expected to be more exploratory than individuals raised in one-parent families, and individuals with siblings would be more active and explore unfamiliar settings more than individuals raised without siblings. Using a 1 x 1 meter ‘open-field’ arena, I recorded the number of squares crossed and the time spent in each major section of the open-field. I also recorded the latency to leave a nest box in the center of the arena and number of returns to the nest box during the 10 min test period. Although the results show interesting trends, there were no significant differences among the treatment groups. Use of open-field exploratory tests has been assumed to reflect behaviors of ecological significance, e.g., tendency to disperse and finding mates. I will discuss the appropriateness of psychologists-designed open-field tests to study the behavioral ecology of non-domesticated animals, and offer suggestions for changes in methodology.