Original Article

Early experience with the artificial nipple

  1. William P. Smotherman*

Article first published online: 28 MAY 2002

DOI: 10.1002/dev.10054

Issue

Developmental Psychobiology

Developmental Psychobiology

Volume 41, Issue 1, pages 1–14, July 2002

Additional Information

How to Cite

Smotherman, W. P. (2002), Early experience with the artificial nipple. Dev. Psychobiol., 41: 1–14. doi: 10.1002/dev.10054

Author Information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-7710

*Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-7710.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 28 MAY 2002
  2. Article first published online: 28 MAY 2002
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 19 SEP 2001
  4. Manuscript Received: 2 APR 2001

Funded by

  • NIH. Grant Number: HD 16102-19
  • Dora F. Gerdes Trust

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Keywords:

  • oral appetitive behavior;
  • oral grasp response;
  • artificial nipple;
  • suckling;
  • surrogate nipple;
  • early experience

Abstract

The present study examined the newborn pup's responsiveness to artificial nipples that differed in length and width. In a series of experiments, pups were: exposed to a long (5.0 mm), thin (1.0 mm) nipple or a short (2.0 mm), fat (2.5 mm) nipple and their immediate behavioral responses including oral grasping were recorded and quantified (Experiment 1); preexposed to one artificial nipple and then reexposed to another artificial nipple to determine how early nipple experience affected subsequent responding to the artificial nipple (Experiment 2); videotaped to characterize details of oral grasping and to develop a technique for measuring depth of nipple entry into the pup's mouth (Experiment 3a); provided early nipple experience to see how depth of nipple entry into the pup's mouth changed when pups were reexposed to another artificial nipple (Experiment 3b); and exposed to an artificial nipple to determine how early nipple experience changed the pattern of oral grasping and ingestion of milk from a surrogate nipple (Experiment 4). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 41: 1–14, 2002. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/dev.10054

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