Striped mouse

Striped mouse

Striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) on the cover of the August edition of Behaviour

Striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) on the cover of the August edition of Behaviour
My photo and the accompanying paper (see List of publications) were published in this issue.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Summary: Durup & Thinus-Blanc (1987)

Durup & Thinus-Blanc (1987) investigated whether exploratory experience influences an individual golden hamster's (Mesocricetus auratus) ability to learn a shortcut. They allowed hamsters to explore two baited tables that could be accessed by a runway. Then, the animals were allowed to explore a shorter pathway that connected the two tables together. Finally, animals were given a choice between the longer pathway and two new shorter ones. Durup & Thinus-Blanc (1987) found that hamsters preferred the shortcut that did not cross over the previously experience linking path, or either of the two far portions that animals had linkage experience with. They suggest that prior experience of a linking element is important for establishing spatial relationships between objects and could be important for situational representation.

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