EXECUTIVE FUNCTION OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS IN SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR IN THE RAT

Bilateral lesion of the fimbria resulted in a reduction of social inte rdependency and agonistic behavior in male-male encounters in rats. Th ese findings are hypothesized to be consistent with J.A. Gray's (1982) supervisor model, which assigns an executive function to the septohip pocampal system. To achieve this interpretation, social behavior is de scribed in terms of relational processes (social hypothesis, behaviora l sequencing, and behavioral competition). This study focused mainly o n the effects of the lesion on behavioral sequencing by studying the a lterations of the predictability of the behavior of a rat in terms of the behavior of its partner.