If rats are allowed to freely explore a maze without being given a food reward and later are put in the maze again with a food reward in the goal box, the rats:
A) learn the maze as quickly as rats that have never been exposed to the maze.
B) learn the maze more quickly than rats that have never been exposed to the maze.
C) learn the maze more slowly than rats that have never been exposed to the maze.
D) are unable to learn the maze regardless of being rewarded.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as latent learning. Rats that have previously explored the maze without a reward have already formed a cognitive map of the environment, which allows them to navigate to the reward more quickly once it is introduced, compared to rats that are navigating the maze for the first time.

If Rats Are Allowed to Freely Explore a Maze Without