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Social vs. Nonsocial Housing Differentially Affects Perseverative Behavior in Rats (Ratus norvegicus).
Brittany M Hemmer1, Audrey E Parrish2, Taylor B Wise1
1Department of Psychology, Providence College, Providence, RI USA.
Animal Behavior and Cognition
|May 31, 2021
Summary
Social housing in rats enhances decision-making and adaptability, reducing maladaptive perseverance. Socially housed rats avoided prolonged, unproductive efforts towards difficult goals compared to isolated rats.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Perseverance, or grit, is crucial for goal-directed tasks but its modulation by social factors remains understudied.
- Social housing (SH) versus nonsocial housing (NSH) provides a model to investigate the influence of sociality on perseverance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of social housing in modulating perseverative behavior in Long-Evans rats.
- To differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive perseverative behaviors in relation to housing conditions.
Main Methods:
- Rats were housed socially (SH) or nonsocially (NSH) and tested in a T-maze task.
- A high-value reward was progressively blocked, while a low-value reward remained accessible.
- Perseverative behavior was quantified by barrier interaction time and trial outcomes (adaptive vs. maladaptive).
Main Results:
- SH and NSH rats showed similar proficiency in overcoming the barrier for high rewards.
- NSH rats exhibited increased interaction with barriers during maladaptive trials (abandoning high reward for low).
- SH rats demonstrated earlier selection of the low reward and less maladaptive perseverance.
Conclusions:
- Nonsocial housing may promote maladaptive perseverative behavior rather than true perseverance.
- Social housing appears to enhance adaptability and decision-making, facilitating advantageous task-set acquisition.
