Developments of a water-maze procedure for studying spatial learning in the rat.
Developments of an open-field water-maze procedure in which rats learn to escape from opaque water onto a hidden platform are described. These include a procedure (A) for automatically tracking the spatial location of a hooded rat without the use of attached light-emitting diodes; (B) for studying different aspects of spatial memory (e.g. working memory); and (C) for studying non-spatial discrimination learning. The speed with which rats learn these tasks suggests that they may lend themselves to a variety of behavioural investigations, including pharmacological work and studies of cerebral function.
D000818:Animals; D003463:Cues; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004924:Escape Reaction; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009482:Neurophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009949:Orientation; D051381:Rats; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013550:Swimming; D014163:Transfer, Psychology