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Sudden Swimming Deaths: A Psychomotor Reinterpretation
Author(s) -
Binik Yltzchak M.,
Sullivan M.J.L.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1983.tb00937.x
Subject(s) - psychomotor learning , reinterpretation , psychology , perspective (graphical) , developmental psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , neuroscience , medicine , cognition , physics , artificial intelligence , computer science , acoustics
Six experiments examine the determinants of survival in the sudden swimming death paradigm. It is argued that housing‐induced motor differences are a major determinant of survival. This conclusion is supported by comparing rats' performance in the swimming tank to their performance on other motor tasks, i.e., rotarod, passive avoidance, and open field. The deleterious effects of individual housing upon survival in the sudden swimming death paradigm can be reversed by giving animals access to running wheels. Little support could be found for “autonomic” or “critical period” explanations for sudden swimming deaths. Finally, mortality and behavioral differences between individually and socially housed animals are discussed from a motivational perspective.