Control of Choice by the Spatial Configuration of Goals

Rats gathered pellets from the tops of 15.5-cm-tall poles. In a matrix of poles, bait was located on the tops of poles arranged in either a square (Experiment 1) or linear (Experiment 2) configuration. The specific locations of baited poles varied unpredictably from trial to trial. The data show tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Brown, Michael, Terrinoni, Morgan
Format: Villanova Faculty Authorship
Language:English
Published: 1996
Online Access:http://ezproxy.villanova.edu/login?url=https://digital.library.villanova.edu/Item/vudl:175022
Description
Summary:Rats gathered pellets from the tops of 15.5-cm-tall poles. In a matrix of poles, bait was located on the tops of poles arranged in either a square (Experiment 1) or linear (Experiment 2) configuration. The specific locations of baited poles varied unpredictably from trial to trial. The data show that the rats' choices were controlled by the spatial configuration of baited locations. This indicates that the rats represented the geometric pattern formed by the locations of food. This work was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH45004. Experiment 1 was the basis of a thesis project performed by Morgan Terrinoni in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master of science degree.