Genotype and conditioned avoidance learning in the mouse.

Abstract

Seven inbred strains of mice and 4 F1 hybrid groups were tested for acquistion and extinction of an avoidance response in an apparatus designed to produce rapid training of laboratory mice. The 7 inbred strains showed differences in rate of acquisition and extinction; correlations of measures of acquistion and extinction were shown to depend on genotype. The 4 F1 hybrid groups showed performance superior to the average performance of the parental strains; this result was interpreted as an instance of behavioral heterosis.