Alleviation of avoidance deficits by approach alternatives in 10-day old rats

Ten-day old rat pups were exposed to alternative mothers, trained to approach one of these mothers, and then punished for the approach response. Punished pups quickly learned to avoid the shock area, most often by running to the alternative mother, while nonpunished controls continued in their trained approach response. Free choice and retention control subjects showed no preference for either mother. The data indicated previously reported avoidance deficits in rats at very early stages of development can be overcome provided a response alternative appropriate for both their species and age is provided.