A TEST OF ODOR HYPOTHESIS USING MONGOLIAN GERBILS AND A RANDOM TRIALS PROCEDURE

In a test of the odor hypothesis, two groups of Mongolian gerbils were given straight-alley trials, with a 50% schedule of reinforcement For the experimental group, all Ss received the same goal treatment, either reinforcement (R) or nonreinforcement (N), on a given trial For the control group, Ss were given either R or N treatments randomly within a given trial To eliminate intertrial carry-over of odor cues, the alley was cleaned with a damp sponge each time allSs in the experimental or control group completed a trial With this procedure, odor cues were informative only for the experimental group. Results substantiated the odor hypothesis in that experimental Ss ran relatively slower in the goal section on N than on R trials, whereas control Ss did not When the wipe-out procedure was discontinued, thereby confusing odor cues for the experimental group, differential goal latencies on R andN trials disappeared. © 1969, Psychonomic Journals, Inc.. All rights reserved.