No evidence for cognitive mapping in rats

The popular assumption that mammals possess cognitive mapping abilities, that is that they are able to organize mentally a kind of global-view-from-above puzzle made of subsets of landmarks that are locally perceptible from given ground-level places, has never been demonstrated. Water maze experiments were designed to test this assumption in rats, Rattus norvegicus, Although they were given ample opportunity to build a cognitive map during the preceding training trials, the rats proved unable to navigate accurately towards a hidden goal, an escape platform, during the tests in which they were given no opportunities to use any other orientation mechanism. Although such results may not constitute definite proof against cognitive mapping in rats, they question its existence. In previous experiments purporting to show cognitive mapping, the animals may have used simpler orientation mechanisms. The results of this study suggest that, at least, the a priori assumption that mammals are capable of cognitive mapping should be abandoned. (C) 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour