The relative influence of place and direction in the Morris water task
The relative influence of place and direction in the Morris water task
The present study evaluated the generality of directional responding (Hamilton, Akers, Weisend, & Sutherland, 2007) in the Morris water task and attempted to identify methods that would yield a preference for navigation to the precise spatial location of an escape platform in the room. Four experiments evaluated the effects of training with the pool in a fixed location by repositioning the pool for a no-platform probe trial such that the absolute spatial location of the platform and the relative location of the platform within the pool (to which a directional response would occur) were in opposite quadrants. Two experiments attempted to explicitly train navigation to an absolute location in the room by repositioning the pool
during training while keeping the platform at the same location in the room. A preference for directional responding over navigation to the precise location of the platform was observed across a wide range of conditions including when rats were given extensive training (240 trials; Experiment 1), only given
platform placement experience in the absence of active swim training (Experiment 2), trained to navigate to multiple platform locations in a moving platform variant of the task (Experiment 3), and when animals were trained to navigate to a particular location regardless of the position of the apparatus in the room
(Experiments 4 - 5). A preference for navigation to the absolute spatial location of the platform was observed only when the salience of the pool was reduced by filling it to the top with water (Experiment 6).
spatial learning, place navigation, cognitive mapping, hippocampus, water maze
31-53
Hamilton, D.A.
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Akers, G.K.
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Johnson, T.E.
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Rice, J.P.
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Candelaria, F.T.
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Sutherland, R.J.
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Weisend, M.P.
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Redhead, E.S.
d2342759-2c77-45ef-ac0f-9f70aa5db0df
2008
Hamilton, D.A.
afd98c97-6c14-4223-8ba9-8415144f2e26
Akers, G.K.
4846bc03-12dd-4281-84df-d2ade609f62c
Johnson, T.E.
8482f43d-dc79-419f-a323-133a88463654
Rice, J.P.
354db3be-7168-426f-9366-18fe02fd7b2c
Candelaria, F.T.
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Sutherland, R.J.
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Weisend, M.P.
21753811-b9d7-45cf-875a-f3a2ec36bf02
Redhead, E.S.
d2342759-2c77-45ef-ac0f-9f70aa5db0df
Hamilton, D.A., Akers, G.K., Johnson, T.E., Rice, J.P., Candelaria, F.T., Sutherland, R.J., Weisend, M.P. and Redhead, E.S.
(2008)
The relative influence of place and direction in the Morris water task.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behaviour Processes, 34 (1), .
(doi:10.1037/0097-7403.34.1.31).
Abstract
The present study evaluated the generality of directional responding (Hamilton, Akers, Weisend, & Sutherland, 2007) in the Morris water task and attempted to identify methods that would yield a preference for navigation to the precise spatial location of an escape platform in the room. Four experiments evaluated the effects of training with the pool in a fixed location by repositioning the pool for a no-platform probe trial such that the absolute spatial location of the platform and the relative location of the platform within the pool (to which a directional response would occur) were in opposite quadrants. Two experiments attempted to explicitly train navigation to an absolute location in the room by repositioning the pool
during training while keeping the platform at the same location in the room. A preference for directional responding over navigation to the precise location of the platform was observed across a wide range of conditions including when rats were given extensive training (240 trials; Experiment 1), only given
platform placement experience in the absence of active swim training (Experiment 2), trained to navigate to multiple platform locations in a moving platform variant of the task (Experiment 3), and when animals were trained to navigate to a particular location regardless of the position of the apparatus in the room
(Experiments 4 - 5). A preference for navigation to the absolute spatial location of the platform was observed only when the salience of the pool was reduced by filling it to the top with water (Experiment 6).
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Hamilton_JEPABP_2008.pdf
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Published date: 2008
Keywords:
spatial learning, place navigation, cognitive mapping, hippocampus, water maze
Organisations:
Psychology
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Local EPrints ID: 48598
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/48598
ISSN: 0097-7403
PURE UUID: 25a6e4dd-59ef-4b5c-8650-eb844fd0c712
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Date deposited: 02 Oct 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:18
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Contributors
Author:
D.A. Hamilton
Author:
G.K. Akers
Author:
T.E. Johnson
Author:
J.P. Rice
Author:
F.T. Candelaria
Author:
R.J. Sutherland
Author:
M.P. Weisend
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