CONTACT US: Contact info
|
Citation |
Hayward A, McGregor A, Good MA, Pearce JM. Q. J. Exp. Psychol. B 2003; 56(1): 114-126. |
|
Affiliation |
Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. |
|
Copyright |
(Copyright © 2003, Experimental Psychology Society, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group) |
|
DOI |
|
PMID |
12623542 |
|
Abstract |
In three experiments rats were required to escape from a pool of water by swimming to a submerged platform. The position of the platform was determined by the shape of the pool, which was either rectangular or triangular. A landmark that was located on the surface of the pool near the platform failed to overshadow (Experiment 1) or block (Experiment 2) learning about the position of the platform with reference to the shape of the pool. Experiment 3 revealed a similar outcome with cues outside the pool, which could be used, in addition to the shape of the pool, to identify the location of the platform. These findings imply that theories of learning that assume that stimuli must compete with each other for the control that they acquire may not apply to spatial learning based on the shape of the environment. Language: en |