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.
n. a set of study methods developed on the basis of research in cognitive psychology. The set represents six steps required for acquiring information: preview, question, read, reflect, recite, and review.