A female pigtailed macaque ("Macaca nemestrina") with unusual physical characteristics, deficits in learning and cognitive tasks, abnormal social behavior, and abnormal reflexes and motor control was followed from birth until 3 years of age and found to have trisomy 16, which is homologous to trisomy 13 in humans. The animal described here showed…

Response rates under random-interval schedules are lower when a brief (500 ms) signal accompanies reinforcement than when there is no signal. The present study examined this signaled-reinforcement effect and its relation to resistance to change. In Experiment 1, rats responded on a multiple random-interval 60-s random-interval 60-s schedule, with…

When an odor is paired with a delayed illness, rats acquire a relatively weak odor aversion. In contrast, rats develop a strong aversion to an olfactory cue paired with delayed illness if it is presented simultaneously with a gustatory cue. Such a conditioning effect has been referred to as taste-potentiated odor aversion learning (TPOA). TPOA is…

The recent promotion of inquiry-based learning techniques (Uno, 1990) is well suited to the use of animals in the classroom. Working with living organisms directly engages students and stimulates them to actively participate in the learning process. Students develop a greater appreciation for living things, the natural world, and their impact on…

Stress facilitates memory formation, but only when the stressor is closely linked to the learning context. These effects are, at least in part, mediated by corticosteroid hormones. Here we demonstrate that corticosterone rapidly facilitates synaptic potentiation in the mouse hippocampal CA1 area when high levels of the hormone and high-frequency…

Adaptive motor actions require prior knowledge of instrumental contingencies. With practice, these actions can become highly automatic in nature. However, the molecular and anatomical substrates mediating these related forms of learning are not understood. In the present study, we used in situ hybridization to measure the mRNA levels of two…

Describes three experiments which investigated the behavior of "Colisa fasciata" males in full breeding condition subjected to competition for nest sites and a single female. Concludes that for these fish territorial dominance is established in a relatively short time, the period varying with the intensity of competition. (MLH)

Suggests that the use of anthropomorphic statements are appropriate when dealing with children operating at the preoperational and concrete levels. For these children anthropomorphic formulations are not only natural, but actually aid comprehension of the world theyobserve. (JR)

Article suggested that if teachers are adequate to the task, all manner of lessons can be drawn from pets. These run the gamut from math to language skills to social sciences to sex education. (Author/RK)

This booklet is intended to provide information on the snakes of South Carolina, to point out the necessary steps to avoid a snakebite, and to indicate the current medical treatment for poisonous snakebite. It includes a checklist of South Carolina reptiles and a taxonomic key for the identification of snakes in the Savannah River Plant. Three…

A delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task was used to test several hypotheses about sources of retroactive inhibition (RI) in pigeon short-term memory. (Editor)

Given an opportunity to choose between an immediate, small reward and a delayed, large reward, pigeons may commit themselves to the large reward, but if the choice is encountered they will almost always select the immediate, small reward. This study tested a model, developed by H. Rachlin and his co-workers, concerning some general theories of…

Describes scientific events: computed tomography (CT) scanner and its costs, existence of Upsilon particle in its lowest excited state, animal psychology to determine their capabilities of symbolic communication, findings of Viking mission about Mars and its two moons, and finally gives credit to first discoverer of penicillin. (GA)

The excitement of sociobiology comes from the promise of the role it will play in humanistic investigation. Its potential importance beyond zoology lies in its logical position as the bridging discipline between the natural sciences on the one hand and social sciences and humanities on the other. (Author/AM)