Differences in Spontaneous Behavior among Inbred Strains of Mice
This paper is methodological in scope. Its purpose is to report refinements in technique in systematic situational observations and to show the application of these methods to the differentiation of the behavior of several strains of mice. These techniques require that: ( a ) the observed behavior occurs within a specifically defined environment rather than open field or natural habitat, ( b ) all behavior involving the animal's orientation to its environment is represented by specifically defined categories of behavior, and (c ) recording is continuous or discontinuous but automatically paced. The methods have grown out of investigations of the behavioral syndromes which result from various debilitating agents: McDowell, Davis, and Steele (1956), in a study of the radiation syndrome in rhesus monkeys; and Hammack (1960) and Heimstra (1961), in psychopharmacologica1 studies of monkeys and rats, respectively. The methods, which are time sampling techniques, resemble somewhat those employed by Bindra and his co-workers ( 1961 ) .