Tonic immobility in chicks during presentations and withdrawals of an imprinting stimulus

Abstract

We investigated the effects of presentation and withdrawal of an imprinting stimulus on durations of the tonic immobility reaction in domestic fowl. In Experiment 1, presentation and withdrawal of the imprinting stimulus was compared to similar manipulations with a novel stimulus. Differences in the immobility reaction were due to specific effects of the imprinting stimulus. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated the effect of the presence or withdrawal of only the imprinting stimulus on the duration of the immobility reaction. The presence of the imprinting stimulus shortened the duration of the immobility reaction, while the withdrawal of the same stimulus lengthened the duration of the reaction, relative to a baseline condition. The results are interpreted in terms of central affective states which interact in simple ways. 383Central affective states are thought to play an important role in the control of behavior; yet, the existence of such states is purely inferential, a product of the psychologist's analysis of the sudden changes occurring in ongoing behavior when pleasant and unpleasant stimuli are introduced and then terminated. One can begin to give empirical status to such inferred affective states by studying the interactions caused when two such states are elicited simultaneously. Thus, an affective state becomes that state aroused by stimulus X which, when combined with the state aroused by stimulus Y, yields a specific behavioral phenomenon, Z. This is the strategy represented by our experiments. We arouse in chicks either the affective state controlled by the presence of an imprinting object (pleasant) or that controlled by the removal of an imprinting object (aversive) and ask what happens to the tonic immobility reaction induced by forced restraint (aversive) as a consequence of the interactions of the affective states controlled by the three stimulus complexes.Chicks and ducklings manifest a characteristic pattern of response to presentations and withdrawals of an imprinting stimulus. In the presence of the imprinting object, the animal seems content and will follow the stimulus avidly, emitting few distress vocalizations (Hoffman & Solomon, 1974). Withdrawal of that same stimulus dramatically changes the animal's behavior. The hatchling will actively search for the stimulus, while emitting high-intensity distress

The tonic immobility reaction of the domestic fowl: a review

“…The duration of tonic immobility was, indeed, reduced in the presence of an unrestrained conspecific, both in chicks (Salzen, 1963; and adults (Jones and Faure, 1982a). Similarly, the presence of an inanimate object to which chicks had become imprinted shortened their immobility reactions while its withdrawal prolonged TI (Berns and Bell, 1979).…”

Tonic immobility as an evolved predator defense: Implications for sexual assault survivors.

“…For example, preinduction exposure to predatory contextual cues (e.g., placement in an open field) can prolong the duration of TI (Suarez & Gallup, 1981), as can exposure either to stimuli paired with other aversive stimuli (e.g., foot shock) or more intense fear-inducing conditioned stimuli (Contarino, Baca, Kennelly, & Gold, 2002; Gallup, 1973; Kiernan, Westbrook, & Cranney, 1995). In contrast, the presence of safety cues (e.g., presence of an imprinting stimulus) can shorten the duration of the TI response (Berns & Bell, 1979). Resistance to TI habituation, in turn, is greater in the context of predatory cues and situations where predation is likely (for example, at night; Rovee-Collier, Capatides, Fagen, & Negri, 1983).…”

The opponent-process theory of acquired motivation: The costs of pleasure and the benefits of pain.

“…The strategy of Berns and Bell (1979) was simple. First, they induced tonic immobility in large numbers of chicks to obtain an index of fear derived from their particular way of handling the chicks in our laboratory setting.…”

“…The theory was elaborated and sharpened by John D. Corbit and Howard S. Hoffman and was reviewed by D'Amato (1974). It has recently been applied to job satisfaction (Landy, 1978), to fear conditioning (LaBarbera & Caul, 1976a, 1976b, to cigarette smoking (Pomerleau, 1979;Ternes, 1977), to fear-inhibitory associations (Maier, Rappaport, & Wheatley, 1976), to tonic immobility reactions (Berns & Bell, 1979), to tolerance to opiates (Siegel, Hinson, & Krank, 1978),. to gastric ulcer formation (Desiderato, MacKinnon, & Hissom, 1974), to opiate addiction (Wikler, 1973), to sucrose preference (Cohen,Note 2), to eating (Cantor & Wilson,Note 3), to peer separations in monkeys (Suomi, Mineka, & Delizio, in press), to addiction to jogging (Booth,Note 1), and to habituation to test anxiety in college students (Craig & Siegel, 1980).…”