Social context-switch effects on the reacquisition of appetitive responses in rats

Publication date: May 2017 Source:Learning and Motivation, Volume 58 Author(s): Javier Nieto, Tere A. Mason, Rodolfo Bernal-Gamboa It is widely accepted that the presence of one animal can influence what another learns. The present experimental series explored the role of social context in the retrieval of extinguished instrumental responses. A new experimental task with rats to study operant responses in groups was used. During acquisition, all rats were trained to approach the spout of a bottle to drink a sweet solution. Then, rats underwent extinction. Finally, a reacquisition test was conducted. A slow reacquisition was found when the social context of extinction and test were the same. However, when rats were tested in a social context different from extinction (using the same rats from acquisition or new ones) rapid reacquisition was observed. The present data suggests a parallelism between social and physical contexts.
Source: Learning and Motivation - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research