Observational learning in rats: Interplay between demonstrator and observer behavior

Abstract

Background: Observational learning is a vital skill for survival. This form of learning has been seen in humans and certain non-human animals. However, the neural circuitry underlying this form of learning is still poorly understood.

New method: To better understand the factors underlying successful observation in rats, we employed a task where an observer must base its behavior on that of a demonstrator rat to identify a reward location. A comparison was made of behavior during a social and non-social observation condition.

Results: Observers oriented more, responded faster and omitted less responses in the social compared to the non-social condition. Observer performance was also linked to initial orientation, proximity, and the manner in which the demonstrator rat performed the task.

Comparison with existing method: Previous work on observational learning encompassed multiple exposures to a single solution over days or weeks. The current method provides data from multiple individual novel observational learning trials, leading to much faster and more robust social learning. This method provides a clearly defined interval in which observation must take place. Allowing for precise tracking of both the observer and demonstrator behavior during the learning period.

Conclusions: This study highlights observer and demonstrator interplay in successful observational learning and provides a novel method for analyzing social behavior in rodents.

Keywords: Appetitive conditioning; Observational learning; Oxytocin; Social learning.