Packard & McGaugh (1996)

Question 1

Abstract?

Answer 1

they examined the involvement of the hippocampus and the caudate nucleus in place and response learning by inactivating these brain regions with infusions of lidocaine

Question 2

Methods?

Answer 2

• used 50 rats
• used T mazes
• rats were either injected with saline (control) or lidocaine into their caudate nucleus or their hippocampus trained and then placed into the maze

Question 3

Results?

Answer 3

• On day 8 rats with hippocampus lesions follow the place rather than following the response
• After 16 days of training rats switch from showing place learning to response learning = show that the hippocampus is responsible for place learning
• Injecting lidocaine into the caudate nucleus has no effect on place learning where as infusing lidocaine into the hippocampus has a severe effect on place learning
• When you impair the animals ability to use the caudate nucleus which is responsible for response learning, the animals fall back on their memory for place learning

Question 4

Discussion?

Answer 4

• animals need to have an extended amount of training before they express response learning
• evidence that different parts of the brain are involved in spatial learning
• hippocampus = responsible for place learning
• caudate nucleus = responsible for response learning

Question 5

What are the links between Tolman et al.’s study and P+M?

Answer 5

• Both studies sought to determine how rats learned using mazes
• In both studies the rats were split into place and response learning groups
• It was found in Tolman’s study that rats are more likely to use place learning compared to response learning which was the same in Packard and McGaugh’s study when the caudate nucleus was inactivated with lidocaine but not for the hippocampus
• also used the dual solution task