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Age effects in the acquisition and retention of active and passive avoidance learning by rats
Author(s) -
Egger Garry J.,
Livesey Peter J.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420050407
Subject(s) - avoidance learning , avoidance response , psychology , conditioning , task (project management) , memory retention , developmental psychology , audiology , medicine , neuroscience , mathematics , statistics , management , economics
Three groups of 8 male albino rats within each of the age ranges 24, 50, and 100 days were trained on an active avoidance task to a criterion of 10 successive avoidances. The number of trials to criterion was found to be a monotonic function of age. One group at each age was tested immediately thereafter for passive avoidance of the conditioning chamber, another group was tested for passive avoidance after 25 days, and the third was tested for retention of active avoidance after 25 days. Groups at 50, 75, and 125 days were used as controls for the active avoidance retention groups. All animals took significantly fewer trials to relearn the active avoidance after 25 days than did controls on the acquisition of the original learning task. On passive avoidance 24‐day olds performed less efficiently than the older groups and failed to show any retention after 25 days.