Neonatal learnibg Ability and Mechanism of mother-Infant Relationship Based on Fetal Memory

1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 04610049
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Psychology
• Research Institution: SHIGA UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: KODAMA Noriko Shiga University, Faculty of Education, Associate professor, 教育学部, 助教授 (50127007)
• Project Period (FY): 1992 – 1993
• Keywords: fetal memory / newborn's memory / preference for mother / amniotic fluid

Research Abstract

This study was conducted as a series of experiments in fetal memory and learning in order to investigate the relationship between fetal memory and learning ability of the newborn, and mother-infant bond.
The 2-day-old newborns of SIc : ICR mice were used as subjects. they were tested the preference to the mother's nipple, with which the taste/odor stimulus (amniotic fluid and saline) was coated, and their own mother. In stimulus preference test, newborn pups were first separated to their own mother for three hours for hunger then subjected to the test. After the mother was anesthetized with nembutal, a pup was placed in front of her. In maternal preference test, own mother of pups and alien mother were anesthtized with nembutal simultaneously. Then a pup was placed between them.
The pups preferred the nipple which was coated with amniotic fluid, and their own mother. These results indicate that the 2-day-old newborn pups remember the characteristics of amniotic fluid which they experienced in the wonb in fetal period, that they choose their mother based on the memory, and that they remember the stimulus characteristics of their own mother after birth.