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PubMed1988

The effects of novelty, isolation, light and ethanol on the social behavior of mice.

The social behavior of pairs of male NIH Swiss mice was assessed under a variety of experimental conditions. Increasing periods of isolation increased both the total time spent in social interaction and also increased the incidence of aggressive behavior. Familiarity with the testing arena tended to increase social behavior, but the magnitude of this effect was considerably less than that previously observed in rats. High light levels reduced social interaction. Ethanol (0.8-2.4 g/kg) caused a dose-related decrease in the total time spent in social interaction, a biphasic effect on aggressive behavior and a dose-related increase in locomotor activity. While the social interaction test in this form may not be a suitable model of anxiety in NIH Swiss mice, it should provide a useful method of assessing drug effects and investigating genetic influences on social and aggressive behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMed1993

Beyond the actor's traits: forming impressions of actors, targets, and relationships from social behaviors.

Perceivers who observe social behaviors may form impressions not only of actors' traits but also of people as targets and of interpersonal relationships. In Study 1, Ss read about 4 individuals' behaviors under instructions to form actor-, target-, and relationship-based impressions. Ss then read additional behavioral information that they later tried to recall. Ss accurately perceived actor, target, and relationship effects in the presented information, and they better recalled subsequent behaviors that were consistent with all 3 types of impressions. In Study 2, Ss thought of 4 people they knew and judged how much each liked the other 3. These ratings revealed actor, target, and relationship effects as well as individual and dyadic reciprocity. Perceivers can form relatively accurate impressions of people as actors and as targets and accurate impressions of relationships between people, and these impressions influence memory for further behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Sequential analysis of juvenile isolation-induced decreased social behavior in the adult rat.

The consequences of juvenile isolation on adult social behavior were studied in detail using two different analysis methods: frequency, duration, and latency of behavioral elements, and sequential analysis. Rats were either isolated or socially housed during weeks 4 and 5 of age, and after the isolation period housed in pairs with a rat of identical housing condition until the time of testing at 12 weeks of age. Juvenile isolation caused marked effects on the frequency, duration, and latency of various social behavioral elements, whereas the non-social activities such as ambulation, rearing, and self-grooming were hardly affected. Juvenile isolation reduced social exploration, anogenital sniffing, and approach/following and increased the latency to the first occurrence of these social behavioral elements. In contrast, the sequential analysis revealed that the structure of social behavior was barely affected by juvenile isolation. Some transitions were less pronounced in juvenile isolated rats compared to non-isolated rats, but no significant differences were observed in transitions between social elements. Thus, juvenile isolation bisected the time spent on adult social interactions, whereas it did not disrupt the sequential structure of social behavior. The present data suggest that juvenile isolation reduced the motivation for adult social behavior, but when social contact is initiated, a relatively normal social behavioral pattern is displayed.

Aging↗
PubMed1979

Effects of peer-mediated social initiations and prompting/reinforcement procedures on the social behavior of autistic children.

Peer-mediated social initiations and prompting/reinforcement procedures were evaluated (in training and generalization sessions) as interventions for increasing the positive social behavior of four autistic children. During baseline, the peer trainer made few social initiations and did not prompt or socially reinforce subjects. For two subjects, baseline was followed by social initiation intervention, and for the other two, baseline was followed by prompting and social reinforcement. Both interventions produced dramatic and comparable increases in positive social behavior in training sessions. Post-treatment responding was not observed for either intervention. When interventions terminated in a second baseline period, the subjects' behavior returned to the level observed during the initial baseline. The subjects were then exposed to the intervention procedure they had not yet experienced. Again, there were positive and comparable behavior changes in the treatment setting, but no increase in positive social behavior was observed during generalization assessment.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1994

The effects of haloperidol and clozapine on PCP- and amphetamine-induced suppression of social behavior in the rat.

Previous work has shown that phencyclidine (PCP) and amphetamine decrease social behavior in rats. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of the dopamine antagonists clozapine and haloperidol on PCP- and amphetamine-induced changes in rat social behavior. An intruder paradigm was used, in which rats were injected with drug and placed into a stable home colony of three other rats. Social behaviors were recorded for 30 min. Both amphetamine (4.0 mg/kg) and PCP (4.0 mg/kg) substantially reduced social behavior. Haloperidol and clozapine did not produce a general reversal of the effects of amphetamine or PCP on the total number of social behaviors. Nevertheless, 0.025 mg/kg haloperidol did reverse the effects of PCP and amphetamine on some of the specific social behaviors observed (side threats, mounting, crawling under). Clozapine had no effect on reversing the actions of amphetamine on social behavior, but 2.0 mg/kg clozapine did reverse the effect of PCP on side threats and mounting. These results indicate that DA antagonists do not restore normal social behavior in animals treated with PCP or amphetamine, but can reverse some of the effects of PCP or amphetamine on specific social behaviors.

Aggression↗
PubMed2000

Sex, sex differences, and social behavior.

Sex differences in social behavior are center stage in recent formulations of evolutionary psychology. Evolutionary psychology, with its emphasis on the long-term consequences of early adaptations, offers itself as an alternative meta-theory to mainstream social psychology, which emphasizes the importance of social structures in determining the existence and extent of social and cognitive sex differences. Using a range of examples, we argue that evolutionary psychology is open to criticism on several fronts: It does not (a) include a role for mediating and moderating variables or test predictions rigorously; (b) appreciate the importance of the difference between first- and second-order effects; (c) offer a truly interactionist theory; or (d) seriously consider the social implications of sex-based inequities. We also argue that social psychology has, in its turn, failed to appreciate the non-intuitive richness of some evolutionary hypotheses or that there is a role for evolutionary psychology in a genuinely interactionist theory This paper restates the need for that perspective, and suggests how it may be achieved.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed2005

Using Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) measures of self- and social perception to give interpersonal meaning to symptoms: anxiety as an exemplar.

Current symptom-based diagnosis, although important, lacks theoretical underpinning that might give meaning to psychiatric symptoms. The structural analysis of social behavior (SASB) fills this void, operationalizing interpersonal theory for investigation of relational aspects of psychopathology. To provide an example of how SASB may be utilized to this end, participants with (n = 40) and without (n = 40) uncontrollable worry and anxiety completed SASB Intrex Questionnaires to explore self-perceptions and perceptions of strangers in a social interaction task. Based on SASB principles and past research on familial factors in childhood anxiety, it was hypothesized that self- and other perceptions would discriminate participant groups along the lines of disrupted and normal attachment. To demonstrate the versatility of SASB, analyses incorporated indexes of varying specificity. Largely, results supported predictions, suggesting the sensitivity of SASB Intrex to assess social perceptions even in a first-meeting context, extending its known possible uses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A comparison of three indexes to assess the dimensions of structural analysis of social behavior.

Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) is an increasingly popular model of interpersonal and intrapsychic interactions that provides a flexible assessment methodology ranging from an observer-based coding system to a modifiable objective self-report questionnaire: the Intrex. Published research using the Intrex has varied in the methods employed to assess the fundamental dimensions of affiliation and autonomy of SASB. In this article, we review the conceptual and computational differences among 3 indexes to assess the SASB dimensions. Empirical comparisons revealed good support for convergent validity but significant differences in distribution characteristics and orthogonality. These results have direct implications for assessment strategies, statistical analyses, and interpretation of both clinical assessments and clinical research. Results are discussed with reference to developing guidelines for assessment and research use of SASB via self-report.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Work-based antipoverty programs for parents can enhance the school performance and social behavior of children.

We assess the impact of the New Hope Project, an antipoverty program tested in a random assignment experimental design, on family functioning and developmental outcomes for preschool- and school-aged children (N = 913). New Hope offered wage supplements sufficient to raise family income above the poverty threshold and subsidies for child care and health insurance to adults who worked full-time. New Hope had strong positive effects on boys' academic achievement, classroom behavior skills, positive social behavior, and problem behaviors, as reported by teachers, and on boys' own expectations for advanced education and occupational aspirations. There were not corresponding program effects for girls. The child outcomes may have resulted from a combination of the following: Children in New Hope families spent more time in formal child care programs and other structured activities away from home than did children in control families. New Hope parents were employed more, had more material resources, reported more social support, and expressed less stress and more optimism about achieving their goals than did parents in the control sample. The results suggest that an anti-poverty program that provides support for combining work and family responsibilities can have beneficial effects on the development of school-age children.

Achievement↗
PubMed2004

A fresh look at the wolf-pack theory of companion-animal dog social behavior.

A popular perspective on the social behavior of dogs in multiple-dog households sees the dogs' behavior as reflecting the sociobiological laws of the rigidly structured dominance hierarchy that has been described for wolf packs. This view suggests that aggression problems among dogs are natural expressions of conflict that arise whenever dominance status is in contention. One recommended solution has been for the owner to endorse and enforce a particular dominance hierarchy because, on the wolf pack model, aggression is minimized when the structure of the hierarchy is clear, strong, and stable. This article questions the validity of this perspective on 2 principal grounds. First, because it does not seem to occur in the wild, this article suggests the strong dominance hierarchy that has been described for wolves may be a by-product of captivity. If true, it implies that social behavior--even in wolves--may be a product more of environmental circumstances and contingencies than an instinctive directive. Second, because feral dogs do not exhibit the classic wolf-pack structure, the validity of the canid, social dominance hierarchy again comes into question. This article suggests that behavioral learning theory offers another perspective regarding the behavior of dogs and wolves in the wild or in captivity and offers an effective intervention for aggression problems.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

New animal model of social behavioral deficit: reversal by drugs.

A new model of social behavioral deficit and its reversal by drugs is described. Mice isolated for one week or more (isolated mice) behave differently from controls (grouped mice). When observed together under an inverted beaker, the isolated mice make significantly less escape attempts than the grouped mice. This behavioral deficit is a social one because it exists only when the isolated and grouped mice are tested together but not when they are tested singly. Several drugs impair this social behavioral deficit, particularly the 5-HT1B receptors agonists.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Nicotine administration interacts with housing conditions to alter social and non-social behaviors in male and female Long-Evans rats.

Despite the fact that the anxiety-relieving effects of smoking are widely reported by smokers, human laboratory studies have not found consistent evidence for this effect. In animals, contrasting results also have been reported, with Sprague-Dawley rats unaffected by nicotine in behavioral tests of anxiety but with other rat strains (e.g., Wistar, Fischer-344) displaying behaviors indicative of anxiolysis. The present experiment used the social interaction test to evaluate effects of nicotine (12 mg/kg/day) chronically administered via minipump on social and non-social behaviors in 48 male and 48 female Long-Evans rats--a strain that has not previously been evaluated and that is known to differ from Sprague-Dawleys in other behavioral responses to nicotine. Because environmental conditions can alter behavioral effects of drugs, animals lived in either individual or same-sex group housing. Social interactions were measured on day 10 of drug administration and social behaviors (touch, follow, sniff-other, wrestle) as well as non-social behaviors (anxiety-related behaviors: freezing, grooming-self; exploratory behavior: moving) were scored. Group housing decreased social behaviors and increased anxiety-related behaviors. Nicotine's effects depended upon housing condition, such that nicotine further decreased social behaviors and increased anxiety-related behaviors of group-housed animals, with weaker effects in single-housed animals. Overall, the results suggest that nicotine's effects are modified by environmental conditions, and that nicotine administration at this dosage and in this particular rat strain results in anxiogenic effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Olfactory bulbectomy decreases social behavior in male prairie voles (M. ochrogaster).

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are social rodents that show characteristics of monogamy including high levels of social behavior and male parental care. Behavioral studies of prairie voles have implicated chemosignals in the control of various components of social behavior and reproduction. In the present study, the role of the olfactory system in male behavior was examined following surgical removal of the olfactory bulbs. Decreases in measures of sexual, paternal, and other social behaviors were observed following bilateral olfactory bulbectomy, but not unilateral or sham bulbectomy. Some bilaterally bulbectomized males also showed a stereotypy, but this probably did not account for the changes in social behaviors.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Genetic structure of reciprocal social behavior.

OBJECTIVE: The study examined the genetic structure of deficits in reciprocal social behavior in an epidemiologic sample of male twins. METHOD: Parents of 232 pairs of 7-15-year-old male twins completed the Social Reciprocity Scale to provide data on their children's reciprocal social behavior. Scale scores were analyzed by using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Intraclass (twin-twin) correlations for scores on the Social Reciprocity Scale were 0.73 for monozygotic twins (N=98 pairs) and 0.37 for dizygotic twins (N=134 pairs). The best fitting model of causal influences on reciprocal social behavior incorporated additive genetic influences and unique environmental influences. CONCLUSIONS: For school-age boys in the general population, reciprocal social behavior is highly heritable, with a genetic structure similar to that reported for autism in clinical samples. Continuous measures of reciprocal social behavior may be useful for characterizing the broader autism phenotype and may enhance the statistical power of genetic studies of autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The children's Social Behavior Questionnaire for milder variants of PDD problems: evaluation of the psychometric characteristics.

The Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ) contains items referring to behavior problems seen in children with milder variants of PDD. Data of large samples of children diagnosed as having high-functioning autism, PDDNOS, ADHD, and other child-psychiatric disorders were gathered. Besides the CSBQ, parents completed the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The data provided the basis for scale construction of the CSBQ, a comparison of the CSBQ scales with other instruments and a comparison of groups on scores on the CSBQ. The 5 scales obtained referred to Acting-out behaviors, Social Contact problems, Social Insight problems, Anxious/Rigid behaviors and Stereotypical behaviors. Results show that the CSBQ has good psychometric qualities with respect to both reliability and validity. A comparison of the different groups showed that significant group differences were found on all scales. In general, the autism group received the highest scores, followed by the PDDNOS group and the ADHD group. Exceptions were on the Acting-out scale, where the ADHD group scored highest and on the Social Insight scale, where no significant difference was found between the PDDNOS group and the ADHD group. Implications of the results and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

The influence of hunting pressure on the social behavior of vertebrates.

The study of the influence of human hunting pressure on the social behavior of vertebrates requires a large background on both the hunting pressure and the social behavior of the species. Literature about this subject is relatively scarce. Most of the papers are restricted to shifts in demography, and are generally "species-specific". However, human hunting pressure can not only affect demography but also some factors of the social behavior of a species such as parental care, territoriality, reproductive behavior, group-size, fraying behavior, mating system, and intraspecific competition. The presence of hunters in the area can lead the animals to move out of their original home-rangers. This can breakup the social structure and can cause long-term effects on the demography of hunted as well as nearby populations, amplifying the impact of hunting. On the other hand, harvest can be compensated in territorial species by "surplus population" of non-territorial individuals. Moreover, alternatively, an increase in the reproductive activity, as a response to hunting pressure, can compensate its effects in some species. Understanding the implications of hunting pressure in the social behavior of vertebrates might be decisive to the establishment of wildlife management and conservation programs. Manipulative experiments might help us to model such complex interactions. The occurrence of qualitative and quantitative changes in vertebrate social behavior directly or indirectly related to human hunting pressure is reviewed and analyzed in this paper.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Acute effects of ethanol on social behavior of adolescent and adult rats: role of familiarity of the test situation.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a time when the risk for extensive alcohol use is elevated. At least two important qualities of alcohol may contribute to extensive alcohol use in adolescence: its ability to facilitate certain forms of social behavior, including interactions with peers, and its properties to alleviate anxiety. These issues may be addressed using sensitive animal tests of social behavior. METHOD: A modified social interaction test was used to investigate acute effects of ethanol on different forms of social behavior (social investigation, contact behavior, and play fighting) and social motivation of adolescent and adult rats tested in a familiar (nonanxiogenic) or unfamiliar (anxiogenic) test situation. Testing in the familiar environment assessed age-related differences in sensitivity of social behavior to activating and/or suppressing effects of ethanol (ethanol-induced social facilitation or social inhibition), whereas testing in the unfamiliar environment provided information about age-related differences in ethanol anxiolytic effects (ethanol-induced reduction in the social inhibition provoked by the unfamiliar environment). RESULTS: Ethanol-induced social facilitation was observed only in adolescent animals: 0.5 g/kg of ethanol significantly increased social investigation and play fighting in adolescents tested in the familiar environment. Ethanol-induced reduction of social inhibition in the unfamiliar test situation was observed in both adolescents and adults, however, higher doses of ethanol were required to attenuate social inhibition in adolescents than in adults. Adolescent animals were also less sensitive than adults to the inhibition of social behavior evident at higher doses. Adolescents decreased contact behavior and play fighting (but not social investigation) following ethanol only in the familiar test situation and only at the highest dose, whereas adults showed inhibition of all forms of social activity in both contexts after the highest dose of ethanol, and in the familiar environment after the two highest doses. No age-related differences were found in blood alcohol concentrations assessed 30 min after ethanol administration. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent animals were more sensitive than adults to ethanol-induced social facilitation, but were less sensitive than adults to ethanol anxiolytic effects, as indexed by an ethanol-related reinstatement of social interactions in an unfamiliar, anxiogenic environment that typically decreases social activity. Adolescents were also less sensitive than adults to the suppression of social interactions seen at higher ethanol doses in both test situations. These adolescent-associated alterations in ethanol sensitivity are unlikely to be attributable to ontogenetic differences in ethanol pharmacokinetics, given that observed age-related changes included both suppressant and facilitatory effects, and that blood alcohol levels were similar in adolescent and adult animals. These findings demonstrate age-related differences in sensitivity to the effects of ethanol in a social milieu that vary dramatically with the context and particular ethanol consequences. The results suggest the importance of considering social and environmental factors as contributors to patterns of extensive alcohol use, particularly in adolescence.

Age Factors↗