The activity and learning of white rats.

Effects of supranormal glutamic acid on maze learning.

“…In rats, a corresponding influence might well be simply to raise the general activity level of the animals. The results of some investigations (6,12,15) suggest that the more active rats tend to be superior maze learners. Thus it is possible that slight differences in general alertness or activity level may be sufficient to account for a significant difference in the learning of a fairly simple maze by running, with one trial daily; but may not be sufficient to produce such a difference in the learning, under massed practice conditions, of a long and complex maze by swimming, which requires considerably more vigorous behavior and certainly involves a much greater total energy expenditure.…”

Spontaneous activity of animals; a review of the literature since 1929.

“…Other studies using the running drum which might be mentioned are: the correlation between activity and errors in learning a maze is low (89,96); while that between activity and time to traverse mazes is higher (68); rats given difficult discriminations run less than rats that are not made abnormal by difficult problems (60); a series of electroconvulsive shocks greatly reduced voluntary activity in rats (112).…”