A NOVEL AUTOMATED TOUCHSCREEN PROCEDURE FOR ASSESSING LEARNING IN THERAT USING COMPUTER GRAPHIC STIMULI

A new computer-automated touchscreen testing procedure for studying le arning in the rat, allowing the presentation of nonspatial computer gr aphic stimuli, is described. Data from three tasks implemented in the apparatus (8-pair concurrent discrimination learning, visuospatial con ditional rule learning, and nonspatial nonmatching-to-sample) are pres ented. The advantages of the technique are discussed, including the ut ility of such a method within the framework of a comparative neuropsyc hological approach, the ability to compare performance in nonspatial t asks with their spatial analogues, the ease of training rats to attend and respond to stimuli in the apparatus, and the advantages of automa tion over more labour-intensive options such as presenting junk object s or two-dimensional stimuli in mazes, or the Lashley jumping stand.