[Differences in behavior of impulsive and self-controlled rats in the open-field and light-dark tests]

The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship between impulsive behavior in rats, on the one hand, and locomotor activity and emotionality on the other hand. Rats were divided into groups according to their preference for reinforcements of different values. Animals that preferred valuable but delayed reinforcement in more than 60% of cases formed a self-controlled group, whereas rats that selected poor but immediate reinforcements in more than 60% of the cases were considered as impulsive. The two groups of animals were subjected to the "open field" and "light-dark" tests. The impulsive animals more quickly adapted to new surroundings and displayed more pronounced research activity as compared to the self-controlled animals. The level of anxiety was higher in the self-controlled group.