Abstract
Rats were presented with 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 spatial locations on a 12-arm radial maze and on a subsequent test were required to choose between a place previously visited and a novel place. The animals were reinforced for entering the novel spatial location. During learning, animals showed an increase in errors as the number of places to be remembered increased from 2 to 8, indicating the use of a retrospective memory code. These animals also showed a decrease in errors as the number of places to remember increased from 8 to 10, indicating the use of a prospective memory code. In an analogous mnemonic task, college students were presented with 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 Xs, shown one at a time, marked on a grid of 16 squares. On a subsequent test, the college students were asked to choose between a novel X and one that had appeared previously. Subjects were asked to circle the novel X. On the basis of their verbal reports, the subjects were divided into two groups reflecting different memory coding strategies. The subjects who reported a retrospective coding strategy showed an increase in errors as the list length increased. The subjects who reported a retrospective and prospective strategy showed an initial increase in errors for list lengths of 2 to 8 items followed by a decrease in errors for list lengths of 8 to 14 items. The results are interpreted to reflect a correspondence between animals and humans in the use of coding strategies aimed at facilitating memory performance for long lists of information.
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Support for this research was provided by NIH Grant RO1NS20771-03.
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Kesner, R.P., DeSpain, M.J. Correspondence between rats and humans in the utilization of retrospective and prospective codes. Animal Learning & Behavior 16, 299–302 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209080
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209080