sunburst maze

a specific radial maze variation consisting of 20 arms projecting from a hub in a pattern resembling sunbeams spreading across the sky, used by Edward C. Tolman in the 1940s to study cognitive maps. In his experiments, rats were trained to follow a particular route in a sunburst maze from the start to a designated goal. The original route was then blocked and the animals had to choose an alternative path, only one of which pointed toward the goal box. The fact that many rats chose the arm that led to the location of the goal box was taken as evidence that they understood the spatial relation between the start and the goal and could take the shortest path to get there.

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Psychology term of the day

December 24th 2024

evolutionary aesthetics

the concept that art evolves due to intrinsic forces rather than changing to reflect extra-artistic forces.