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SharpMasterThesis2017Re.pdf (1.29 MB)

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Retention in Male and Female Rats: Forgetting Curves for an Element that Violates Pattern Structure

Sharp, Jessica Lynn
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1505299781953525

Abstract Details

2017, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences.
This experiment examined long-term retention of a serial pattern. Adult male and female rats were trained in a serial multiple choice (SMC) task to perform a pattern of nosepoke responses in receptacles mounted on the 8 walls of an octagonal chamber for water reward. Rats learned to nosepoke the pattern, 123-234-345-456-567-678-781-818, where digits represent the clockwise position of successive correct receptacles, dashes indicate brief pauses. The pattern consisted of the chunk-boundary element, the first element in each chunk, which was dependent on S-R learning. The within-chunk element, the second and third responses in a chunk, was dependent on abstract rule learning. The final element in the pattern was the “violation element”, termed this because it is the element that violates pattern structure. We assessed serial pattern retention in rats with a focus on the violation element. Violation elements were targeted because they are unusually difficult to learn, contrasting with rule-learning in the structured pattern. Performance on the chunk-boundary and within-chunk elements were also assessed. Rats were trained twice to an 85% correct criterion on the violation element, then they were tested at 24-hour, 2-week, and 4-week retention intervals. Significant forgetting of the violation element had occurred at 2- and 4-week retention tests compared to the 24-hour test. Chunk-boundary and within-chunk element performance was significantly worse at the 4-week retention test. Sex differences were not observed. The results indicate that elements of a serial pattern are not only learned at different rates but also forgotten at different rates.
David C. Riccio, Ph.D (Advisor)
Stephen B. Fountain, Ph.D (Advisor)
Aaron Jasnow, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Beth Wildman, Ph.D (Committee Member)
55 p.
Psychology
Serial Pattern Learning; Sex differences; Rodent; Cognition; Retention; Memory

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sharp, J. L. (2017). Retention in Male and Female Rats: Forgetting Curves for an Element that Violates Pattern Structure [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1505299781953525

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sharp, Jessica. Retention in Male and Female Rats: Forgetting Curves for an Element that Violates Pattern Structure. 2017. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1505299781953525.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sharp, Jessica. "Retention in Male and Female Rats: Forgetting Curves for an Element that Violates Pattern Structure." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1505299781953525

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1505299781953525
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.