The Influence of Living Area Space on Behavior in the Mongolian Gerbil
- 1 January 1979
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of General Psychology
- Vol. 100 (1) , 125-128
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.1979.9710531
Abstract
This crowding experiment was designed to study the effects of varying the size of living area space on social and nonsocial behaviors in groups of young adult Mongolian gerbils. Six groups of four (two of each sex) and three groups of eight animals were observed twice daily for three days each while in small (30 × 30 cm), medium (30 × 60 cm), and large (30 × 90 cm) living areas. The Friedman Test showed no significant differences in any behavior category in the three area sizes for any group. The most frequently occurring behaviors included huddling, rearing, and digging. Most Ss showed active behaviors and social interactions in the morning and on the first day, and more huddling and sleeping on day 3. The results indicate that the sizes of living space tested did not greatly influence social interactions.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
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