Learning and behaviour in the absence of visual contact with the environment in rats

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Abstract

This work is focused on studying the formation and realisation of individual experience in the absence of vision. Rats (Long Evans) were trained to press levers in order to get food. After the training, neural activity and EEG were recorded during this behaviour. In this article we present the results of behaviour analysis of learning and performing the instrumental lever-press task in the absence of visual contact with the environment in rats (n=47) with an intact visual system and normal visual development. Group 1 was trained to perform the task in a new unfamiliar environment with eyes covered by light-proof spectacles, and Group 2 - with open eyes. It has been shown that the majority of the animals both, with closed and open eyes, learnt the task successfully, and no difference in the speed or dynamics of learning was observed. However, the dynamics of task performance (duration of acts in ms) during three experimental stages was different between the groups. These results are discussed in terms of system-evolutionary approach.

General Information

Keywords: individual experience, learning, behaviour, vision, rat

Journal rubric: Cognitive Psychology

Article type: scientific article

For citation: Arutyunova K.R., Gavrilov V.V., Alexandrov Y.I. Learning and behaviour in the absence of visual contact with the environment in rats. Eksperimental'naâ psihologiâ = Experimental Psychology (Russia), 2014. Vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 31–43. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Karina R. Arutyunova, PhD in Psychology, Associate Researcher, V.B. Shvyrkov Laboratory of Neural Bases of Mind, Institute of Psychology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3056-5670, e-mail: arutyunova@inbox.ru

Vladimir V. Gavrilov, Senior Research Associate, Institute of Psychology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education

Yuri I. Alexandrov, Doctor of Psychology, Head the Laboratory of the Institute of Psychology RAS and Head. the Department of Psychophysiology State University of Humanitarian Sciences, Institute of Psychology Russian Academy of Science, head Laboratory of Neurocognitive Research of Individual Experience, Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University (FSBEI HE MGPPU), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education. Member of the editorial board of the scientific journal "Experimental Psychology", Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2644-3016, e-mail: yuraalexandrov@yandex.ru

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