Escape behavior in neonatal rats: Methodological and psychometric considerations

To determine factors conducive to shock-escape behavior, and which of several measures reflects a learning capability, 5- and 9-day-old rats were given 25 shock-escape training trials in a straight alley in which the grids that comprised the floor ran either vertically or horizontally. Performance was evaluated in terms of speed and competing response measures. Vertically arranged grids were found to facilitate performance in terms of an increased tendency to move in a forward direction. An intrasession decrease in competing responses proved to be the most reliable indicator of learning.