Geophysical variables and behavior: LXXXVII. Effects of synthetic and natural geomagnetic patterns on maze learning

12 normal male albino rats were exposed or not exposed in their home cages for 5 min, and 50 sec. once every hour 8 times per night to a 7-Hz square-w ave magnetic field whose amplitudes were shifted by about 50 nT approximate ly every 10 sec. Although there were no statistically significant differenc es between the two groups for numbers of working errors, numbers of referen ce errors, or speed during the acquisition of an Olton (8-arm) maze, the st rength of the group differences (F ratios) for daily working errors was red uced (rho=.70) if there had been enhanced geomagnetic activity during the t ime of the night when the experimental fields were present.