Cited by 286Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorPrimate Behavior and EcologyAnimal Behavior and Reproduction

Pro-social behavior in rats is modulated by social experience

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Ben-Ami Bartal, Inbal, Rodgers, David A, Bernardez Sarria, Maria Sol, Decety, Jean, Mason, Peggy·2014·eLife

Abstract

In mammals, helping is preferentially provided to members of one’s own group. Yet, it remains unclear how social experience shapes pro-social motivation. We found that rats helped trapped strangers by releasing them from a restrainer, just as they did cagemates. However, rats did not help strangers of a different strain, unless previously housed with the trapped rat. Moreover, pair-housing with one rat of a different strain prompted rats to help strangers of that strain, evidence that rats expand pro-social motivation from one individual to phenotypically similar others. To test if genetic relatedness alone can motivate helping, rats were fostered from birth with another strain and were not exposed to their own strain. As adults, fostered rats helped strangers of the fostering strain but not rats of their own strain. Thus, strain familiarity, even to one’s own strain, is required for the expression of pro-social behavior.

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Authors
Ben-Ami Bartal, I., Rodgers, D. A., Bernardez Sarria, M. S., Decety, J., & Mason, P.
Affiliations
  • Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
  • University of Chicago (US)
  • Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
Corresponding author
Mason, Peggy
Venue
eLife
Published
2014-01-14
Volume
3
Pages
e01385-e01385
ISSN
2050-084X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2115556017
Cited by
286
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 1
FWCI
35.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Knowledge@UChicago (University of Chicago) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • University of Chicago (cc-by)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (DA022978, DA022429)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Keywords
prosocial behavior, helping behavior, social experience, genetic relatedness, foster rearing, kin selection, rats
MeSH terms
Animals, Social Behavior, Rats

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