On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 07:47:06 -0700, Michael Britt wrote: >Most people associate rats running in mazes with psychology, but aside from >Tolman I don't know any other psychologists who used rats in their work. >Skinner is mostly known or using pigeons (though I heard he might have used >rats at one point). Any others?
Michael, go to PsycInfo, enter "rat" as a search term, check "animal" as population group, and then select an appropriate date range, say 1890-1950. I get a little over 1000 hits, with one of the earliest being: Some of the oldest lab studies are: Experimental Study of the Mental Processes of the Rat. II Willard S. Small The American Journal of Psychology Vol. 12, No. 2 (Jan., 1901), pp. 206-239 Published by: University of Illinois Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1412534 Notes on the Psychic Development of the Young White Rat Willard S. Small The American Journal of Psychology Vol. 11, No. 1 (Oct., 1899), pp. 80-100 Published by: University of Illinois Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1412730 An Experimental Study of the Mental Processes of the Rat Willard S. Small The American Journal of Psychology Vol. 11, No. 2 (Jan., 1900), pp. 133-165 Published by: University of Illinois Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1412267 Some notable later references: Watson, J. B., & Watson, M. I. (1913). A study of the responses of rodents to monochromatic light. Journal Of Animal Behavior, 3(1), 1-14. doi:10.1037/h0072771 Watson, J. B. (1907). Kinæsthetic and organic sensations: Their role in the reactions of the white rat to the maze. The Psychological Review: Monograph Supplements, 8(2), i-101. doi:10.1037/h0093040 Thorndike, E. L. (1901). Review of 'Experimental Study of the Mental Processes of the Rat'. Psychological Review, 8(6), 643-644. doi:10.1037/h0063847 Watson, J. B. (1917). The effect of delayed feeding upon learning. Psychobiology, 1(1), 51-59. doi:10.1037/h0074422 I am sure that there are many, many other examples. One also has to remember that during a good part of the 20th century, experimental psychology laboratory was called "rat lab" because usually half of the semester was spent in operant conditioning of rat bar-pressing in an operant chamber (i.e., Skinner box). -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=18734 or send a blank email to leave-18734-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
