Latent Learning in White Rats with and without Reinforcement by Presentation of Videotaped Stimuli

Abstract

The effect of videotaped presentation of a maze, with and without reinforcement during correct “trials,” was investigated to determine whether learning could occur without the correlated response being manifested. Three groups of 10, female albino rats of the Wistar strain, 120 days old, were employed. The stimuli were presented on a monitor during acquisition. Group 1 received the film and reinforcement during correct “trials” and performed significantly better than Group 2, which received the film but no reinforcement and Group 3 which received neither film nor reinforcement on test trials in the actual maze. Empirical and theoretical support were obtained for the notion that learning would occur without responding.