Spatial pattern learning in rats: Conditional control by two patterns

Rats searched for food hidden on top of poles in a 4 x 4 matrix of poles. Before each trial, the location of the four baited poles was unpredictable. However, the poles were always baited in one of two spatial patterns, either a square or a line. The food hidden on the four baited poles was one of two types, and the food type determined the identity of the pattern. Thus, once one baited pole was discovered, the food type provided a cue for the spatial pattern in which the remaining food was hidden. The results showed that rats learned the two spatial patterns in which the food was hidden and used the conditional cue to determine which pattern was relevant on individual trials, thereby increasing the efficiency of spatial search.