题目选项分析

Adult female rats who have never before encountered rat pups will start to show maternal behaviors after being confined with a pup for about seven days. This period can be considerably shortened by disabling the female's sense of smell or by removing the scent-producing glands of the pup.

Which of the following hypotheses best explains the contrast described above?

【选项】The development of a female rat's maternal interest in a rat pup that she did not bear is inhibited by the odor of the pup.