Abstract
Hooded rats were confined in the stem of a T-maze in which glass doors prevented access to black-white choice arms. On a subsequent free choice trial, when both arms were either black or white, rats shocked prior to choice spent a greater amount of time in the unchanged arm, whereas unshocked controls preferred the changed arm. It was suggested: (1) that the results provide firm support for the hypothesis that aversive stimulation elicits a shift in preference toward familiarity; (2) that the behavior of shocked laboratory rats in this type of situation may be akin to the “neophobia” observed in wild rats.
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References
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This research was supported by a Science Research Council studentship. I am grateful to Dr. M. H. Sheldon for initial discussions and to Dr. Corinne Hutt for useful criticisms of an earlier version of the paper.
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Aitken, P.P. Aversive stimulation and rats’ preference for familiarity. Psychon Sci 28, 281–282 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328740
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328740