Molar characteristics of exploratory and investigatory behavior in the rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Renner, Michael; Seltzer, Charles P.

doi:10.1037/0735-7036.105.4.326

Cited by 60 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…As pointed out previously, observation is frequently used for data collection when automatic techniques are too expensive, unreliable, or difficult to implement (see, e.g., Renner & Seltzer, 1991). Observation is also the primary technique for screening the health of experimental subjects.…”

Section: Observation As Unnecessary For Scientific Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation of behavior, inference of function, and the study of learning

Timberlake

Silva

1994

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

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Before the present century, the primary means of studying animals was observation of the form and effects of their behavior combined with presumption of their intent. In the present century, ethologists continued to emphasize observation of form and replaced presumption of intent with the study of proximate function and evolution. In contrast, most learning psychologists minimized both observation of form and presumption of intent by defining behavior in terms of simple environmental effects and establishing intent by deprivation operations, We discuss advantages of the use of observation in the study of learning, examine arguments that it is unnecessary, irrelevant, and unscientific, and consider some practical considerations in using observation. We conclude that observation of the form of behavior and concern with its ecological function should be an important part of the arsenal of techniques used to study learning.Observation has been the dominant method of studying the behavior of animals since the beginning of recorded history (Warden, 1927 (1918) and Heinroth (1910Heinroth ( /1985, and experimentalists (see Lubbock, 1882; C. L. Morgan, 1900;Small, 1899;Spalding, 1872). Further, these written accounts represent only a fraction of the daily observations made by hunters, gamekeepers, animal trainers, herders, farmers, and amateur naturalists (Barber, 1980;Mountjoy, 1980). In one sense, the historical prominence of observation is uninteresting because of a lack of alternatives. Drawings, imitations of movements and sounds, and stories of intentionalactions by animals have given way only recently to the precise recording of behavior by the use of microswitches, photocells, cameras, video and audio recorders, and neurophysiological techniques. Observation, though, was considerably more than a less exact precursor to precise, automated measurement of behavior. Observers influenced the nature of their data by frequently focusing on the form of behavior and by inferring the function or intent. Many were drawn to the perceived similarities between human behavior and the behavior of nonhuman an- (Warden, 1927), anthropomorphically viewing the latter as partially disguised people enmeshed in a web of human goals, social relations, and rules (Aesop, approximately 620 B.C.; Selous, 1908). Other observers adhered to a more animal-centered description and inference of function (Craig, 1918;Huxley, 1914).The purpose of the present paper is to briefly review the historical and current treatment of observation as it relates to the study of learning in animals, focusing particularly on the observation of response form and the inference of function. We will consider advantages of the observation of form and inference of function and important objections and impediments to their use. Our conclusion is that observation should be encouraged in the study of learned behavior, not at the price of rejecting the rigor of traditional laboratory techniques, but for the advantages that observation of form and inference of function hol...

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Section: Observation As Unnecessary For Scientific Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation of behavior, inference of function, and the study of learning

Timberlake

Silva

1994

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

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“…新异性探索行为（novelty-seeking）是动物的一种本能，即动物天生表现出更趋近新异刺激或者对新异刺激表现出更兴奋的行为特点 (Dellu et al, 1996;Renner & Seltzer, 1991)。这种行为有利于动物的生存，比如获取食物、寻找配偶以及释放压力等 (Bardo et al, 1996)。对于新异刺激的定义有多种：在行为学上，认为新异刺激是原有刺激的改变；在认知水平上，认为新异刺激是基于先前经验对某个事件的预测与当前现实之间产生的偏差（Berns et al, 1997; Bevins et al, 1997）。不管对新异刺激如何定义，已经有许多方法被用来检测新异性探索行为 (Dellu et al, 1996;Pawlak et al, 2008)，如旷场行为 (Dellu et al, 1994;Koros et al, 1998)、Y-迷宫探索 (Dellu et al, 1996)、新异物体探索 (Besheer & Bevins, 2000;Ennaceur & Delacour, 1988;Robinet et al, 1998)、新异气味探索以及新异位置偏好 (Nowak et al, 2000 Hof et al, 1995;Ongur & Price, 2000;Pandya & Yeterian, 1990;Schoenbaum et al, 2003;Uylings et al, 2003)。这些广泛的皮层间以及皮层下核团纤维连接使得OFC能够参与各种感觉、情绪、行为反应及记忆和决策等高级认知活动 (Petrides, 2007;Rolls, 2004;Schoenbaum & Roesch, 2005;Schoenbaum & Setlow, 2001) 。在大鼠和猕猴上的行为学实验结果已经表明OFC参与了行为策略的选择和执行（Baxter et al, 2000;Gallagher et al, 1999;Pickens et al, 2003;Pickens et al, 2005;Schoenbaum et al, 1999 (Exner & Clark, 1993;Robinet et al, 1998 Control of response selection by reinforcer value requires interaction of amygdala and orbital prefrontal cortex [J]. J Neurosci, 20(11): 4311-4319.…”

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Lesions to the Orbitofrontal Cortex Produce the Novelty-Seeking Behavior Deficits in Rats

Wang¹,

Fu²,

Ma³

et al. 2010

Zoological Research

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“…Several factors influence the exploratory activity of animals. In addition, age, genetic predisposition and even sex exert their effects (6)(7)(8)(9)). An important consideration concerning animals kept in groups is that social interactions may result in increased interest in enriched environments due to the social facilitation promoted by the group (9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social condition affects hormone secretion and exploratory behavior in rats

Genaro

Schmidek

Franci

2004

Braz J Med Biol Res

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Studies of behavior, endocrinology and physiology have described experiments in which animals housed in groups or in isolation were normally tested individually. The isolation of the animal from its group for testing is perhaps the most common situation used today in experimental procedures, i.e., there is no consideration of the acute stress which occurs when the animal is submitted to a situation different from that it is normally accustomed to, i.e., group living. In the present study, we used 90 male 120-day-old rats (Rattus norvegicus) divided into 5 groups of 18 animals, which were housed 3 per cage, in a total of 6 cages. The animals were tested individually or with their groups for exploratory behavior. Hormones were determined by radioimmunoassay using specific kits. The results showed statistically significant differences between testing conditions in terms of behavior and of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH: from 116.8 ± 15.27 to 88.77 ± 18.74 when in group and to 159.6 ± 11.53 pg/ml when isolated), corticosterone (from 561.01 ± 77.04 to 1036.47 ± 79.81 when in group and to 784.71 ± 55.88 ng/ml when isolated), luteinizing hormone (from 0.84 ± 0.09 to 0.58 ± 0.05 when in group and to 0.52 ± 0.06 ng/ml when isolated) and prolactin (from 5.18 ± 0.33 to 9.37 ± 0.96 when in group and to 10.18 ± 1.23 ng/ml when isolated) secretion, but not in terms of follicle-stimulating hormone or testosterone secretion. The most important feature observed was that in each cage there was one animal with higher ACTH levels than the other two; furthermore, the exploratory behavior of this animal was different, indicating the occurrence of almost constant higher vigilance in this animal (latency to leave the den in group: 99.17 ± 34.95 and isolated: 675.3 ± 145.3 s). The data indicate that in each group there is an animal in a peculiar situation and its behavior can be detected by ACTH determination in addition to behavioral performance.

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Molar characteristics of exploratory and investigatory behavior in the rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Cited by 60 publications

References 26 publications

Observation of behavior, inference of function, and the study of learning

Observation of behavior, inference of function, and the study of learning

Lesions to the Orbitofrontal Cortex Produce the Novelty-Seeking Behavior Deficits in Rats

Social condition affects hormone secretion and exploratory behavior in rats

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