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The effects on exploration of differential rearing conditions and of immediate past experience were studied and, in addition, the factor of maze complexity was varied by utilizing two tests, a Y maze and a Dashiell maze. Early handling significantly increased exploration in both mazes, and there was a tendency, although not significant, for rats reared in a restricted environment to explore more than rats reared in a free environment. Maze complexity did not affect the results. Although previous experience in one maze did not affect performance in the other maze, exploratory activity declined with time, both within and between trials in the same maze. The results justify the statement that a rat's response to a novel situation is dependent upon its past history, both in terms of early experience and in terms of previous exposures to the same situation." From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5EC48E.

In bar pressing tests with either food or water as the motivator, tegmental operatees were deficient by comparison with normals (p < .002 for tests using a continuous-reinforcement schedule and p < .002 for tests using increasing ratios of reinforcement). However, in a straight alley, with food as the motivator, tegmental operatees ran faster than normals (p < .02); and, in situations in which food and water were freely available, significant differences were not found between tegmental operatees and normals. These data suggest that the amount of work involved in securing food may be a crucial variable. Operated controls with fornix-hippocampal commissure lesions performed as well as normals on some tasks and significantly better than normals and tegmental operatees on other tasks.