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Acquisition and retention of multidirectional escape behavior in preweanling rats
Author(s) -
Misanin James R.,
Brownback Thomas,
Shaughnessy Lynn D.,
Hinderliter Charles F.
Publication year - 1980
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.420130112
Subject(s) - psychology , escape response , zoology , biology , neuroscience
The shock‐escape behavior of preweanling rats in a multidirectional escape situation was examined in 3 experiments. In Experiment I, 5‐, 7‐, 9‐, and 11‐day‐old rats were given shock‐escape training on each of 3 days. Rats younger than 7 days of age did not improve escape responding within or over sessions. Animals 7 days of age and older, however, showed both an intrasession improvement and an intersession improvement that could not be attributed solely to maturation. In Experiment II, the escape behavior of 3‐, 5‐, and 7‐day‐olds was examined in an apparatus modified to take into account the poor locomotor abilities of these animals. They were given escape training on 3 successive days. Again, no within‐session improvement was found in rats under 7 days of age. However, an intersession improvement was found in rats whose training began at 5 days of age. This improvement was due to maturation and did not reflect a cumulative effect of training. Experiment III, like Experiment I, demonstrated that the intersession improvement in the older rats was not simply a maturation effect. It also demonstrated that the improvement could not be attributed to the stress of prior handling, shock, or body temperature loss, but was, rather, a retention effect. These results support the contention that the emergence of memory is task specific.