Four laboratory mice were used in this experiment to test learning preparedness. It was assumed that as the trials increased the completion times of the mice would decrease. Mice were individually placed in a constructed maze and allowed to run through the maze over a series of ten trials. Time required for the mice to complete the maze was recorded after each trial and the data was compiled into a table which was then used to formulate a scatter plot. Upon analyzing the results it was observed that each of the four mice exemplified a general downward trend. The results of the experiment were in concurrence with the hypothesis previously stated.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Introduction
In a natural environment, preparedness occurs as a result of previous experiences and exposure to certain situations. Prior to the experiment the mice are unprepared, but as “training” continues throughout trials, their level of preparedness increases. When animals are contraprepared to a situation, they are unable to be trained to perform the appropriate behaviors for that specific situation. This is due to an instinctual behavior that may limit responses to the situation. In this experiment, preparedness will be exemplified by four mice individually placed in a maze and timed from start to finish. Each successive trial will demonstrate some level of preparedness by decreasing in time of completion by each mouse.
Materials and Methods
The organisms used in this experiment were six standard laboratory mice (Mus musculus). A maze was constructed using posterboard that was cut into pieces of varying size and glued together. The maze was then transported to a laboratory setting to perform the experiment. Once in the laboratory, the mice were fasted for a period of two hours prior to running the maze. Two of the six mice obtained for the experiment were not used due to late stages of pregnancy. Cheese was used as a positive reinforcement for finishing the maze. The maze was placed on the lab floor and tapped down to prevent light from entering through cracks between the maze walls and floor. The tail of each mouse was marked with a different color to be distinguished. At every trial, each mouse ran through the maze before moving on to the next trial. This process was repeated for ten trials. At the beginning of a trial, the mouse was placed at the starting point of the maze and cheese was placed at the finish. A stopwatch was used to record the time required for the mice to complete the maze. Mice were cycled through the maze in the same order to ensure resting time between trials.
After recording the times of four different mice for ten trials, the data was entered into an Excel spreadsheet. The data was used to generate line graphs depicting the learning preparedness of the mice.
Discussion
The results depicted in Figure 1 show varying downward or stable trends throughout the experiment. The blue and black mice show initial decreases in time of completion from trials 1 to 2 and continue to decrease overall as the number of trials increases. The high R² values of the blue and black mice indicate a strong linear trend from the first to last trials. The red and green mice demonstrate an increase in time of completion from trials 1 to 2; followed by a slightly decreasing trend by the green mouse and a relatively stable trend by the red mouse. The learning curve of the green mouse increases and is then stable until trial 4, where it begins a more constant decrease in time as trials continue.
Overall, the data collected supported the initial hypothesis in that the time of completion decreased as the number of trials increased. This demonstrates that as the mice were repeatedly exposed to the maze, they exhibited learning preparedness.
References
Parisi, Mark. 2011. <http://www.offthemark.com>.
Paulson, Gregory. 2011. Animal Behavior: Class Notes. <http://webspace.ship.edu/gspaul/aniout.htm>.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)