“Free” versus “Forced” Exploration of a Novel Situation by Rats

Ir_ the study of exploratory behavior in rats it has been the custom to place an animal in novel surroundings and record its subsequent behavior. In such cases the animal is allowed no choice as to whether or not it shall enter the novel situation. Several studies have shown, however, that animals may be initially timid when faced with a novel situation ( 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 14) , and if allowed freedom of choice, do not approach and explore it until after a certain degree of exposure to the situation ( 3, 4, 5, 11, 13 ). If a new situation is feared or avoided initially, it is possible that animals placed in such a situation without their consent initially may be seeking an avenue of escape. If such were the case, the meandering of a frightened rat held captive in a maze might require a different explanation than would behavior in the same situation which occurred by the animal's own choice. In any event, a more precise definition of the term "exploration" is probably necessary. 'The present study was designed to compare certain characteristics of "exploratory" behavior elicited under two conditions: one in which the animal was forced to occupy an enclosure; the other in which it was allowed freedom of choice of entry into the same situation. The results show that the characteristics of exploratory behavior differ markedly under these two conditions.