Social attachment of the infant guinea pig to its parents in a two-choice situation

Abstract

Twenty-four domestic guinea pigs (12 of each gender) served as subjects in this study, which investigated attachment by testing amount of time (maximum 5 min) the infants spent close to either the mother or the father in a two-choice situation during Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 after birth. Significantly more time was spent close to the mother during Weeks 2 and 4; reaction to the father appeared random. Time spent close to the mother declined across weeks, suggesting that maternal attachment weakens as the infant matures. © 1979 Psychonomic Society, Inc.