Position reversal deficit in young ferrets.
Young ferrets (6 and 10 weeks old at the start of the experiments) were compared to adult ferrets on learning (1) a Lashley III maze, (2) a left-right discrimination in T-maze with identical choice arms, and (3) a reversal of the left-right discrimination. The young were not inferior to the adults in learning either the Lashley III maze or the initial discrimination in the T-maze. However, the young were markedly (and significantly) inferior to the adults in learning to reverse.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002335:Carnivora / Q000254:growth & development*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets / Q000254:growth & development*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000502:physiology*