Experiments on habit reversal in the white rat following electro-convulsive treatment

Rats in a T-maze were taught two opposite habits successively, the first being heavily over learned compared to the second. One group of 14 rats was then given a series of 6 electroconvulsive shocks. The control group of 11 rats underwent a dummy procedure.

Tested subsequently the control group maintained the second habit but among the shocked animals some adopted the second habit and some the first. This was no evidence of habit reversal, however, for the behaviour of the shocked animals at the choice point was not distinguishable statistically from random behaviour.

The data of earlier workers are re-examined and, in all cases, animals said to have undergone habit reversal act as if at random.