Latent learning—non-reward followed by food in blinds.

Abstract

Rats were run on a 14 unit multiple-T alley maze. The control group found food at the end of each blind. The exptl. group received food in home cages after each of the first 10 runs and thereafter were treated the same as the controls. The control animals increased the number of blind entrances, whereas the exptl. animals began to eliminate the blind entrances. Upon introduction of food in the blinds the exptl. group increased their blind entrances markedly indicating that latent learning had occurred in the initial trials. The author believes that this phenomenon is better explained according to Tolman''s theory of learning than in terms of the usual S-R theories.