1
|
Pihl RO, Shore H. Development of the Activity Response: Effect of a Manipulatable Environment and Observational Learning. Psychol Rep 1977. [DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1977.40.3c.1263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
At 21 days 24 hooded rats were assigned to two different rearing environments, a manipulatable environment where moveable objects were available and a search for food was required and a static environment where objects were fixed and food was presented in a dish bolted to the floor. To determine whether effects could be transferred visually, each manipulatable environment was paired with a static environment; half of the 12 pairs had adjoining Plexiglas walls and the other half wooden walls. Observational measures of activity were begun when rats were 70 days old, followed eight days later by an ultrasonic measure of activity and at 90 days old by Y-maze learning trials Subjects raised in the manipulatable situation were more active and explorative than those reared in the static environment. Subjects reared in Plexiglas cages were less reactive, ate more, were observed to be more active but were less active as measured ultrasonically and were consistently better on learning than animals reared in wooden cages. The results are discussed in terms of the development of the activity response, the non-unitary aspects of the response and the modifying effect of visual contact.
Collapse
|