Observational Learning and Social Facilitation in the Rat
Abstract
Learning by rats was facilitated when response-relevant cues were provided by other rats; learning increased as a function of number of cues provided. These results suggest that rats can learn by imitation. Learning by rats that observed conspecifics not emitting response-relevant cues was retarded compared to learning by rats that did not observe conspecifics. This indicates that a conspecific's presence can also inhibit learning, a result consistent with social facilitation theory.
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Zentall and Levine showed that rats were able to learn a task faster when they could observe experienced rats pressing a bar to receive water as a reward.
“For instance, Zentall and Levine 173 showed that rats were able to learn the task faster when they could observe experienced rats pressing the bar to receive water as a reward.”
From Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice (2019) · cites this paper as [173]
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- Authors
- Zentall, T. R., & Levine, J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1972-12-15
- Volume
- 178
- Issue
- 4066
- Pages
- 1220-1221
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2055140854
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 8.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Keywords
- observational learning, social facilitation, imitation, rats, conspecific presence, animal learning
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