Wellman, Arnold Woodward2024-08-152024-08-1519691969https://hdl.handle.net/1828/20116The object of the present set of experiments was to determine the effects of food deprivation and prior experience in the test environment upon the group dispersion and movement of small flocks of domestic chicks in a controlled field situation. One hundred and two White Leghorn cockerels were tested in groups of six subjects, in both two, and three factor, factorial experimental designs. It was found that after five pre-exposure sessions in the test setting, groups undergoing food deprivation were more dispersed and showed a greater amount of movement than groups not deprived of food prior to be being tested. Increases in the amount of food deprivation re­sulted in increases in group dispersion and in the amount of movement. The results substantiated the usefulness of this laboratory model of gregarious open field behavior. The role of social facilitation of the feeding response was considered within the context of social communication.45 pagesAvailable to the World Wide WebThesis