Habituation of Exploratory Behavior in Rats - Conditioning and Learning in Psychology

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of displaced objects and spatial reorganization on habituation of exploratory behavior. The subjects, rats, each individually spent 5 minutes in an open field for 6 trials. Throughout the study, exploratory behavior was measured in the number of contacts the subject made, the number of ambulations, and contact time (seconds). Trials 1-5 were mainly used to familiarize the subject with its surroundings, naturally leading to decreasing amounts of exploratory behavior. Trial 6 involves the same routine, except displaced objects are introduced in an attempt to renew exploratory behavior and promote the building up of environmental maps and representations. Additionally, the measured behavior served as a way to compare individual trials with the averages across the experiment. Specifically, in a combined study of 24 rats, the resulting mean number of contacts, ambulations, and contact time at least either suggested exploratory behavior was renewed or guaranteed it. Hence, the results supported the hypothesis that spatial reorganization of familiar objects can renew exploratory behavior, despite time spent in the habituation phase.

Habituation of Exploratory Behavior in Rats Regarding Spatial Rearrangement

of Familiar Objects

This experiment investigated the possibility of renewed exploratory behavior under the influence of spatial rearrangement, specifically after periods of habituation. Rats are very inclined to explore all aspects of novel environments that they are freshly exposed to, but eventually habituation (or familiarity) overpowers and deadens the urge to explore. However, several studies have investigated the role that spatial arrangements play in the renewal of exploratory behavior. The results of one study in particular confirmed that when using exploration as an index of spatial knowledge, hamsters were likely to reinvestigate objects during a test-session

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