Effect of conditioned fear on tonic immobility in domestic chickens.

Abstract

Conducted 2 conditioned fear experiments with 36 and 14 Production Red chickens. Ss given brief exposure to a compound stimulus which had been previously paired with intense electric shock remained immobile significantly longer following manual restraint than Ss which received either shock only or the compound stimulus only during training. The administration of a tranquilizer (metoserpate hydrochloride, pacitran) reduced the effect of conditioned fear on the resulting duration of immobility. Results provide strong support for the notion that fear underlies the tonic immobility reaction in domestic fowl.

Predatory overtones of open-field testing in chickens

“…As found in studies of tonic immobility (Gallup, Nash, & Brown, 1971;Gallup, Rosen, & Brown, 1972), tranquilization decreased the probability of defensive responses, producing instead a predominance of social reinstatement behaviors (i.e., distress calling, attempting to escape from the open field).…”

“…Pretest shock, which can be thought of as analogous to having been bitten, not only increases tonic immobility duration in many species (Edson & Gallup, 1972;Gallup, Creekmore, & Hill, 1970;Gallup, Nash, Potter, & Donegan, 1970), but also profoundly suppresses movement in both rodents and avians and vocalization in birds (Anderson, Crowell, Koehn, & Lupo, 1976; Baron, 1964;Blanchard & Blanchard, 1969;Gallup & Suarez, 1980; Levine, Madden, Conner, Moskal, & Anderson, 1973;Montevecchi et al, 1973;Pinel, Corcoran, & Malsbury, 1971). Similarly, a cue previously paired with shock, or which, by analogy, signals an impending predatory encounter, both prolongs tonic immobility (Gallup, Rosen, & Brown, 1972) and inhibits activity and vocalization in an open field (Bindra & Palfai, 1967;Gallup & Suarez, 1980;Mikulka, Kendall, Constantine, & Porterfield, 1972;Murai, 1968).…”

“…The administration of a tranquilizer specially developed for domestic fowl (Pacitran) attenuates tonic immobility (Gallup, Nash, & Brown, 1971;Gallup, Rosen, & Brown, 1972). In the present study, openfield behavior of chicks given Pacitran was compared with that of nontranquilized birds.…”

Tonic Immobility in the Chicken: Catalepsy Potentiation by Uncontrollable Shock and Alleviation by Imipramine

“…Tonic immobility has been shown to be potentiated by stressproducing situations which generate fear reactions (2,3). The fact that birds which were never shocked remained immobile for an average of only 17.33 sec testifies to the considerable influence of aversive stimulation, even when controllable.…”

Tonic immobility as a fear response in lizards Anolis carolinensis

“…These studies (e.g., Gallup, Rosen, & Brown, 1971) suggest that tonic immobility in the chicken may be an innate fear response which has evolved to meet the dernands of p r e d at o r-pr e y r elationships. The present study represents an attempt to look for comparable effects of e x p e r i m e n tally induced fear on immobility reactions in A.…”