The Role of Local, Distal, and Global Information in Latent Spatial Learning

In 4 experiments that investigated latent spatial learning, rats were repeatedly placed on a submerged platform in a corner of a square swimming pool with walls of different brightness. When they were subsequently released into the pool for a test trial in the absence of the platform, they spent the majority of time in the corner used for placement training—the correct corner. This effect was observed in Experiment 1, even when the test trial took place in a transformed version of the training arena. Experiments 2 and 3 indicated that the correct corner was identified by local cues based on the walls creating the corner. Experiment 4 demonstrated that distal cues created by the two walls that did not surround the platform during placement training could also be used to identify the correct corner. There was no evidence of learning about the relationship between global cues provided by the entire arena and the goal. The absence of the opportunity to develop instrumental, stimulus–response associations during placement training indicates that stimulus–stimulus associations acquired during this training were sufficient to guide rats to the platform when they were eventually released into the pool.