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Observational Pattern Learning In Rats, Tristan J. Bell Knowlton

Undergraduate Honours Theses

Previous research has shown that rats can profit from watching an expert demonstrator preform a simple foraging task. The purpose of the present experiment was to examine whether observing a skilled rat perform a difficult foraging task could influence performance by the observer. The present research also examined whether familiarity with the demonstrator would have an effect on imitation. In this experiment, the testing arena contained 12 towers arranged in a circle with six of them baited. The cues to finding the bait were three different and distinctive wall posters and the pattern of the baited towers. Twelve rats were …