An improved task of locomotor balance for use by squirrel monkeys, employing a shuttle-avoidance paradigm, consisted of a straight alley runway with pressure sensors on the floor to detect footsteps. Training and pre-experimental baseline performance for animals used later in vestibular end organ deafferentation experiments, etc. were described. Subjects learned the task within a few days (Mdn = 5.81 days to first criterion session) as indicated by the skewed distribution of trial sessions to criterion. This test is an improvement over a perviously described measure of locomotor balance in that it eliminates the requirement of physical fitness inherent in the other task.
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