The effect of controlled temperature changes on the behavior of the white rat.

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Abstract
To determine the influence of temp. changes on the be- havior of the white rat, equal groups were kept from birth under controlled temps. of 55[degree], 75[degree], and 90[degree] F, respectively. At 85-95 days of age, 45 rats in each room were tested for learning in a 4-alley maze. Then, equal groups of 15 from the original rooms were distributed to each of the 3 temp. conditions. Approx. 40 days after learning, retention tests were made. Rats in the cold room (55[degree] F) grew most rapidly, and developed heavy, short bodies, with significantly shorter tails than rats in the hot room (90[degree]F). The rats living and learning the maze in the cold room were superior in performance to groups living in the hot room. Cold-room rats required 19.8 trials, those in the control room (75[degree] F) 25.9, and in the hot room, 36.6. In relearning, when a group was moved to a room of higher temp., the number of trials required for mastery of the maze increased. Rats from the cold room relearned the maze there in 7.1 trials, in 9.8 in the control room, and 13 in the hot room. Control-room rats needed 11.3 trials in the control room, 7.9 in the cold, and 18.8 in the hot room. The hot-room rats relearned the maze in the hot room in 16.5 trials, in the control room in 10.5, and in the cold room in 8.2 trials. Groups of rats originating in different rooms but relearning the maze in the same room showed little significant differences in relearning ability.

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