Updated October 25th, 2019 at 17:14 IST
Scientists teach rats how to drive a small car to receive treats
Researchers at the University of Richmond in Virginia, US, recently conducted research wherein they taught rats to drive small cars to receive treats.
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A study was conducted by a team of researchers where they taught rats how to drive small cars to receive treats that could help them understand as to how learning specific skill sets played a part in affecting the human mind and stress levels among them. Rats have been witnessed to have showcased intelligent behaviour such as recognizing different objects and being able to find food after finding their way out of a complex maze and that led the researchers to conduct the experiment.
Rats can drive
Spearheaded by Kelly Lambert, the study wanted to find out if the rats had the capability to learn specific behaviour such as driving and that led to Lambert and her team to train 6 female and 11 male rats to drive small cars using food containers on a set of wheels. The cars used for the study had aluminium floors and 3 copper rods specifically designed to function as a steering wheel.
In addition to this, it was explained that when the rats were placed on the aluminium floors and touched the copper bars, the electrical circuit was complete and that enabled the rats to push the car forward to reach the treat. As soon as the rats learned the skill of navigating their cars, they showcased excellent driving skills alongside an understanding of how to navigate the routes and patterns in order to get to the treats.
Read: Rats Trained To Operate Mini Cars Find Driving Relaxing: Study
The experiment showcased that the rats were able to learn how to drive the cars in a good environment specifically designed to help them with ladders and different toys as compared to learning in closed and a restricted environment.
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An effort to understand the functioning of a human brain
According to an international journal, the concerned research discovered that the process of learning how to drive seemed to have a calming effect on the rats. It further added that the study could provide a breakthrough in understanding the functioning of a human brain much better. For example- how learning a new skillset helped in relieving stress. The study could further help researchers understand the effects of neurological and psychiatric stress factors on the mental health of a human being alongside cognitive abilities.
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Published October 25th, 2019 at 15:15 IST
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