Maternal behavior in two rat lines selected for differences in the acquisition of two-way avoidance.

The maternal behavior of Roman high- and low-avoidance (RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh) rats was studied, using a time-sampling method. It was concluded that: a)RLA/Verh mothers spent more time with their young, b) RHA/Verh mothers were more active, and c) the mothers of both lines mostly "blanketed' their young during nursing, although the RHA/Verh mothers assumed the side-nursing position more often than their counterparts.