Abstract
Two groups of rats, run under odor-maximizing and odor-minimizing trial sequences, served as Ss in a three-phase study investigating the role of olfactory cues in the acquisition, extinction, and reacquisition of double-alternation patterning in the runway. The 104 acquisition trials and 8 extinction trials were run in an apparatus having hardware-cloth tops. The tops of the apparatus were covered by a transparent plastic sheet during the 32 reacquisition trials. During acquisition, double-alternation patterning failed to develop. However, significant extinction differences developed in the goal measure. During reacquisition, significant double-alternation patterning was shown by the odor-maximizing Ss. The results strongly suggest that the effective olfactory cues are airborne, and dissipate appreciably, but not completely, in the runway utilizing wire-mesh tops.
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Pitt, S., Davis, S.F. & Brown, B.R. Apparent double alternation in the rat: A failure to replicate. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 2, 359–361 (1973). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334411
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334411