Mg. Pleskacheva et al., REVEOZ-KRUSHINSKY REASONING TEST SOLVING IN BROWN-NORWAY RATS, Zurnal vyssej nervnoj deatelnosti im. I.P. Pavlova, 45(4), 1995, pp. 701-715
Reasoning abilities of Norway rats were studied in Revecz-Krushinsky t
est. In this test 12 opague plastic cylinders were placed in a row. Ra
ts obtained the bait (sunflower seeds) after tipping the goal cylinder
(from the feeder situated under it) independently of the number of on
e tipped before. Positions of the baits were changed in the following
order. the cylinder No 1 in the first trial, No 2 - in the second and
so on up to the twelfth one. Rats were tested 3 times (12 trials, once
a week) in a rectangular box with a starting chamber and a working pa
rt with a special device which; excluded the influence of olfactory st
imuli. Solution scores demonstrated that rats chose cylinders in the n
onrandom manner and their behaviour, scores were similar to those of-c
rows and monkeys. Analysis of errors and strategies of behaviour of ra
ts showed that quick improvement of feeding was at least partly determ
ined by easy acquisition of recent food positions (i. e., the algorith
m of shifting).