Latent Learning in Satiated and Food-Deprived Rats

Abstract

The hypothesis that qualitatively different learning occurs during exploration by satiated and food-deprived rats was tested in a latent learning paradigm. Satiated and 48-hr. food-deprived rats were allowed unrewarded exploration in one of two complex mazes—one maze with and one without blind alleys. Later, these four groups (ns =12) were compared with four groups (ns = 12) of similarly deprived controls in learning a path to a food reward in the mazes. The satiated rats showed a latent learning effect in both mazes, but only in the later trials. The food-deprived rats showed a latent learning effect only in the non-blind alley maze. The results are interpreted as indicating only a general adaptation effect by the deprived rats but some specific maze learning by the satiated rats.