Studies in spatial learning. I. Orientation and the short-cut.

Abstract

Rats will take the shortest path to the goal location when the practiced path is blocked. 56 [female] rats from the Tryon stock of "brights" and "dulls" were trained to run to food on a single path. On the test trial this path was blocked and 18 other paths, radiating at 10[degree] intervals from a round table, were open. 36% of the rats chose the path which pointed directly towards the former location of the goal; the remaining rats were distributed over the other paths in a chance fashion. The authors call this orientational disposition an "expectation of food in location L," and discuss the implications of this definition for Tolman''s theory of expectancy.