PERFORMANCE OF BINOCULAR AND MONOCULAR INFANT RATS ON VISUAL CLIFF

In 2 experiments, infant rats were tested on the visual cliff shortly after their eyes opened on Days 13-17. In Exp. I, 50 undisturbed hooded, 54 undisturbed albinos, and 47 previously handled hooded Ss preferred shallow-side descents. Depth avoidance was most pronounced in the handled group, suggesting that infantile stimulation influences visual cliff performance. In Exp. II with l48 hooded rats, depth avoidance in monocular and binocular infants was comparable if the monocular S was oriented to see the side on which it descended. Unlike some other infant mammals, rats are capable of avoiding visual depth as soon as the visual system becomes functional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.