caa a22 4500 605541922 CHVBK 20210128100919.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20151101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10071-015-0890-0 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10071-015-0890-0 Some factors affecting performance of rats in the traveling salesman problem [Elektronische Daten] [C. Bellizzi, K. Goldsteinholm, R. Blaser] The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is used to measure the efficiency of spatial route selection. Among researchers in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, it has been utilized to examine the mechanisms of decision making, planning, and spatial navigation. While both human and non-human animals produce good solutions to the TSP, the solution strategies engaged by non-human species are not well understood. We conducted two experiments on the TSP using Long-Evans laboratory rats as subjects. The first experiment examined the role of arena walls in route selection. Rats tend to display thigmotaxis in testing conditions comparable to the TSP, which could produce results similar to a convex hull type strategy suggested for humans. The second experiment examined the role of turn angle between targets along the optimal route, to determine whether rats exhibit a preferential turning bias. Our results indicated that both thigmotaxis and preferential turn angles do affect performance in the TSP, but neither is sufficient as a predictor of route choice in this task. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2015 Navigation nationallicence Cognition nationallicence Spatial nationallicence Optimization nationallicence Strategy nationallicence Planning nationallicence Bellizzi C. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA aut Goldsteinholm K. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA aut Blaser R. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA aut Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/6(2015-11-01), 1207-1219 1435-9448 18:6<1207 2015 18 10071 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0890-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0890-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bellizzi C. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Goldsteinholm K. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Blaser R. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/6(2015-11-01), 1207-1219 1435-9448 18:6<1207 2015 18 10071