Abstract
As a result of a proposed response-produced cue deficit in rats with septal damage, an attempt was made to determine whether rats with such damage would be overly dependent on exteroceptive cues. Normal and septal lesioned rats were trained to perform a behavioral chain where both exteroceptive and response-produced cues could be used. During extinction, these two sets of cues were placed in conflict in order to determine their relative contributions to performance of the chain. Septal rats primarily used response-produced cues, whereas normal animals randomly used the available cues. It was concluded that normal and septal lesioned rats differed in their use of external and internal information, but in a direction opposite to that suggested by the literature.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Reference Note
Mitchell, J. C., & Kratz, K. E. Facilitation of two-bar ratio performance by external cues in septal rats but not in normal rats. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, St. Louis, 1974.
References
Braggio, J. T., & Ellen, P. Differential proprioceptive feedback and DRL performance of normal and septal rats. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1974, 87, 80–90.
Caplan, M. An analysis of the effects of septal lesions on negatively reinforced behavior. Behavioral Biology, 1973, 9, 129–167.
Ellen, P., & Butter, J. External cue control of DRL performance in rats with septal lesions. Physiology and Behavior, 1969, 4, 1–6.
Ellen, P., & Kelnhofer, M. Discrimination of response feedback following septal lesions. Psychonomic Science, 1971, 23, 94–96.
La Vaque, T. J. Conditioned avoidance response perseveration in septal rats during massed extinction trials. Psychonomic Science, 1966, 5, 409–410.
Lubar, J. F., & Numan, R. Behavioral and physiological studies of septal function and related medial cortical structures. Behavioral Biology, 1973, 8, 1–25.
Morgan, J. M., & Mitchell, J. C. Septal lesions enhance delay of responding on a free operant avoidance schedule. Psychonomic Science, 1969, 16, 10–11.
Sodetz, F. J. Septal ablation and free operant avoidance behavior in the rat. Physiology and Behavior, 1970, 5, 773–777.
Srebro, B. Visual cues in successive position reversals retention deficits following septal lesions. Physiology and Behavior, 1974, 12, 639–646.
Thomas, J. B. Stimulus perseveration and choice behavior in rats with septal lesions. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1972, 80, 97–105.
Van Hoesen, G. W., MacDougall, J. M., & Mitchell, J. C. Discrimination of emitted behavior following septal area lesions in rats. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1972, 80, 106–122.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported in part by a National Institute of Health training grant, MH 08359, and by a Biomedical Sciences support grant, RR 07036. Kenneth E. Kratz is now at the University of Virginia Medical School, Department of Physiology.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kratz, K.E., Mitchell, J.C. Internal and external cue use following septal ablation in the rat. Psychobiology 5, 177–180 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335313
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335313