Figure 1.

Hypothesized moderated mediation between early‐life licking received and later‐life licking provisioning. Interindividual licking received early in life would positively associate with later‐life maternal licking provisioning. Differences in dopaminergic activity in the maternal brain would account for this association and mediate the relationship between licking received and licking provisioning indirectly. Finally, offspring genotype in dopamine‐related genes would interact with early‐life interindividual licking received and moderate later‐life maternal licking provisioning and dopaminergic activity in the maternal brain