Daniel: Cooperative Problem Solving in Rats Flashcards
Goal of Study
To see if rats were able to work cooperatively→ they can
Set up a box that had a platform on one side that when the rat stood on it, it shocked them but also provided food.
1st rats were trained to feed in the experimental situation when the grid floor was not electrified and when it was charged to go to the platform which shorted out the grid floor when stepped on
The rats had been trained to either escape shock or feed in the apparatus depending upon the situation.
2 rats were then placed in a cage with the grid electrified and the food crock
If at least one rat was on the platform, the other rat could feed on the food crock
Results
Rats exchanged positions from food-crock to platform and from platform to food –crock even though many of these changes were accompanied by shock and many shocks were administered between these changes
Even if just one rat steps on the platform, the whole grid gets electrified, therefore shocking both rats
Over trials, the shocks were reduced as they learned how to avoid them; they shifted more frequently and got more food
They learned to direct their behavior towards each other rather than towards the platform and food crock
e.g. keeping one foot on the platform till the other rat steps on it
They engaged in turn taking, spent most of the time working on the problem and little time together on the platform
This was a double motive experiment where neither animal could be satisfied/fed without coordinated efforts of both animals
What made this experiment stand out is that here, each rat had to do a different tasks to work cooperatively
The satisfaction of both conditions was contingent upon the behavior of both animals
