Short- and long-term effects of various milk-delivery contingencies on sucking and nipple attachment in rat pups.

Varied milk delivery contingencies differentially affect sucking in rat pups as measured by jaw-muscle electromyographic activity. In Experiment I we found that 11-13-day-old pups sucked more frequently when receiving tiny intermittent pulses of milk than when receiving no milk, and continued to suck at a high rate for at least 30 min after cessation of milk delivery. In subsequent experiments we found that pups 13-18 days of age engaged in more frequent sucking if receiving milk continuously rather than intermittently, and that this increased rate of sucking persisted for at least 24 hr after cessation of milk delivery. Pups given experience with continuous milk delivery from 14 to 18 days of age also spent significantly more time attached to the nipple at 19 days of age than did pups in control groups. It was concluded that experience with different milk delivery schedules can affect subsequent sucking and nipple attachment behavior.