Geomagnetic Orienting in the Radial Eight-Arm Maze?
The purpose of this selected, theoretical review is to propose an account for radial-maze behavior in the rat. It is suggested that performance in the Olton radial eight-arm maze is similar to navigational performance in other species, and that this radial-maze performance can be acquired as a consequence of the rat's responding to geomagnetic cues. The distinction between cognitive mapping and working memory is not a useful one in this proposal for two reasons: (a) the original radial-maze task permitted both strategies; and (b) a consideration of ecologically relevant variables leads to a different experimental question. That question is, What are the salient cues for rat navigation under different ecologically meaningful conditions?
a University of Southwestern Louisiana , USA.
Michael D
MD
Chafetz