Social olfaction: a review of the ontogeny of olfactory influences on vertebrate behavior

Abstract

Research on the postnatal development of behavior involving olfaction is reviewed. Included are investigations of olfactory responses of human neonates and young children, the development of preferences in various mammals, the ontogeny of the fright reaction in fish and amphibia, and the attraction of maternal odors for small mammals. The effects of early exposure and conditioning to olfactory stimuli on adult behavior in mammals and fish are reported including a survey of the status of the olfactory hypothesis in fish migration. Deprivation experiments suggest disruption of later behavior. Limitations of the present knowledge and directions for future research are presented.