Purpose: A test used to evaluate social preference and social behavior in animals.

Habituation Phase: Animals are given 10 minutes to explore the environment and become familiar with the box.

Social Interaction Phase: The animal is allowed to interact with another animal (e.g., a conspecific) for 10 minutes to measure social preference.

Preference for Novelty Phase: The animal is given the option to explore a novel object or a previously encountered object for 10 minutes, allowing the assessment of novelty preference.

Use in Morphine Withdrawal: In morphine withdrawal studies, the test can show how social preference is affected after opioid abstinence, with morphine withdrawal typically leading to reduced social interaction compared to saline withdrawal controls.

Review: Emotion (Physiology 2)