Autoshaping and food acquisition in mice: a genetic analysis

A genetic analysis was undertaken for a number of quantitative behavioral characters that were hypothesized to be components in a generalized feeding pattern. These measures included open-field activity, rate of food ingestion, and rate of development of an autoshaped operant response. Four strains of inbred laboratory mice were used as subjects in a diallel cross design. Standard analytical procedures, including the Hayman analysis of variance and the Jinks variance-covariance diagram, were used to interpret the data. The results were evaluated in terms of the contribution of fitness provided by each of the measured characters. It is concluded that both the various open-field measures and the food-consumption measure were of some importance in the evolutionary history of the mouse. The autoshaping measures, on the other hand, showed a pattern of inheritance that differed from the other measures and offered no clear interpretation of their evolutionary significance.