Operational definitions of general (nonsocial) and social behaviors observed in these experiments
Behavior | Description |
---|---|
General (nonsocial) | |
Locomotion | Walks, runs, climbs, or jumps |
Manipulation | Handles, chews, licks, moves, or smells objects or cage parts |
Passive | Inactive, stays in one location |
Self-directed | Engages in self-directed behaviors, i.e., self-grooms, hugs head, self-grabs and bites, presses face with hands, self-holds, closes fists, self-clutches, sexually self-stimulates, prone, or head on chest |
Social | |
Approach | Initiates social contact; moves body or head toward the conspecific |
Isolation | Sits alone |
Social contact | Any physical contact between the subject and conspecific. |
Grooming-related behaviors conspecific | Subject grooms the conspecific, subject presents for grooming, subject is groomed by the conspecific |
Note that our analysis ethogram also included aggression, mounting, play, withdrawal, motor stereotypies, and vocalizations, but these were either completely absent or observed at very low rates so were not formally analyzed further.