ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the behaviour which maintains the rat's intake of food and water. Probably most social interactions in feeding behaviour are due to learning. Young rats often follow their mother, at least while they are still feeding from her; but a female with active young does not, except incidentally, guide them to food. Social effects on feeding are that they reflect rats' ability to learn to respond to all kinds of stimuli, including those provided by other rats. Eating is the 'consummatory act' of feeding behaviour. It involves licking, chewing, salivation, swallowing and handling. The central facts on food selection are: the ability to modify behaviour in accordance with the physiological effects of food; and the tendency to avoid the unfamiliar in a known setting regardless of specific experience. The chapter is concerned with internal mechanisms which are special to eating and drinking.
