Two experiments examined the effects of specific aspects of antecedent confinement on locomotor activity in turtles, and the influence of surround change on activity level. Confinement of 4 Ss under varying conditions of isolation and restriction resulted in maximal activity when measurements were taken under conditions of greatest total change in the environment from confinement to measuring situation. The second experiment, using 4 additional turtles, confirmed the importance of surround change as an underlying factor in activity level, with highest locomotion scores obtained following changes in the wall-pattern from the first to second hour in the measuring apparatus.
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