The Power of Mental Representation in Navigating a Maze

The Significance of Mental Representation

Rats that are placed in a maze and left to explore without any reward exhibit an interesting phenomenon. These rats are able to navigate the maze just as effectively as rats that were trained with food reinforcement. This raises the question: How do these unrewarded rats achieve such navigation prowess?

The Role of Cognitive Map

The rats that were not rewarded during their maze exploration actually develop a mental representation of the maze. This mental representation is known as a cognitive map. Unlike the rats that learned through reinforcement, these rats rely on their cognitive maps to navigate the maze.

The Answer to the Question

According to the information provided, the rats' ability to navigate the maze without reward is due to the development of a cognitive map. Therefore, the correct answer to the question posed is A) spontaneous representation.

Why are rats that explore a maze without any reward able to navigate it as well as rats that were trained with food reinforcement?

The rats that explore the maze without any reward are able to navigate it effectively because they develop a mental representation of the maze, known as a cognitive map.