LEARNING A TRAVERSAL PATTERN IN A SHOCK AVOIDANCE MAZE
Abstract
Six male monkeys (Macaca mulatta), naive to psychological testing, were given training on a traversal pattern in a shock avoidance maze. Three training conditions were employed to determine the most efficient means for training subjects to master a problem in the shortest possible time. Performance was under automatic control and permitted stimuli to be presented every 10 seconds over a period of 8 minutes. Latencies ranged between approximately 1.5 and 3.5 seconds for conditioned stimulus-conditioned response intervals. The tasks required of the subjects entailed an involvement of the auditory, visual, and pain senses and also some form of temporal sense. In addition, the tasks involved a capacity for motor dexterity as demonstrated by the use of muscles required in the performance. Results indicated that these animals could learn the maze problem to a stable and high level of performance in 20 to 27 days. The training condition using the two-chambered box was chosen for subsequent studies because the subjects trained by this method performed to a degree deemed more efficient in comparison to the other methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0672742
Entities
People
- D. W. Conrad
- E. M. Gresko
- H. D. Cooper
- S. J. Kaplan
Organizations
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute