Whishaw I Q, Dringenberg H C, Comery T A
Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
J Comp Psychol. 1992 Dec;106(4):411-9. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.106.4.411.
The eating behavior of rats (Rattus norvegicus) given food pellets of specified size was examined as a function of environmental, circadian, and experiential influences. Eating times were shorter in lighted, exposed environments than in dark, covered environments, even though in novel, exposed conditions the rats made many scanning movements as they ate. Eating time also varied as a function of the circadian cycle in that eating times were shorter in the night portion of the day-night cycle. Finally, eating times decreased if rats were food deprived, and deprivation had a small but enduring influence. Within the tests there were differences in the eating times of individual rats that were not attributable to the experimental manipulations. That rats can optimize food intake by varying eating speed is discussed in relation to physiological regulation of feeding and to optimal foraging theory.
研究了给予特定大小食丸的大鼠（褐家鼠）的进食行为，该行为是环境、昼夜节律和经验影响的函数。在光照充足、暴露的环境中，大鼠的进食时间比在黑暗、有遮盖的环境中短，尽管在新奇、暴露的条件下，大鼠进食时会进行许多扫描动作。进食时间也随昼夜节律周期而变化，即进食时间在昼夜周期的夜间部分较短。最后，如果大鼠被剥夺食物，进食时间会减少，且剥夺有微小但持久的影响。在测试中，个别大鼠的进食时间存在差异，这些差异不能归因于实验操作。本文结合进食的生理调节和最优觅食理论，讨论了大鼠如何通过改变进食速度来优化食物摄入量。
