The Morris water maze is used to examine spatial learning in animals. Mice, who are good swimmers, are placed in a large pool of water and must learn to find a clear platform located just under the water surface. The platform is their only escape from the pool. If they do not find the platform, they have to continue swimming until we take them out.
For one of the trials, the platform was removed from the pool and the amount of time the mouse spent in each of the four quadrants of the tank was recorded. What statistical test should be conducted on these data?
A) t -test
B) correlation
C) factorial ANOVA
D) repeated-measures ANOVA

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A repeated-measures ANOVA would be the best choice to analyze the data because the same mice were tested in all four quadrants of the pool, meaning that the data is related or dependent. This is a within-subjects design, and a repeated-measures ANOVA allows for the comparison of means between the different quadrants while controlling for individual mouse differences. A t-test would only compare means between two groups (quadrants), a correlation would only assess the relationship between two variables, and a factorial ANOVA would require manipulation of two or more independent variables.

The Morris Water Maze Is Used to Examine Spatial Learning