ResearchProposal

IntroductionandBackgroundInformation:

Learningbehaviourplaysanimportantroleofhowanimalbehaveandreactinthe

environment.Whenitcomestolearning,thecomplexityofthebrainwillworkby

experience,andthiswillmakeitpossibletolinkitwithastimulus,whichisexactlyhow

associativelearningworksingeneral.Thefunctioningofthebraincanbecausedbyanimals'

dietandassumptionthroughouttheday,morespecifically,dietswithhighomega3fatty

acids.Omega3actsasafactorthatisveryessentialforthebraintofunction,togrow,to

developandofcourse,toincreasethelearningabilitytoitsfullpotential(Ehrlich,2015).The

waythatanimalscandemonstratehowtheirlearninggraduallydevelopisthroughaseriesof

trialanderror,orinotherwords,operantconditioning'.Thissimplycombinetheanimals'

actiontogetherwithaninstantaneousreinforcement,wherethisreinforcementwillslowly

puncturedabehaviourintotheirmemoryandoveracertainperiodoftime,thisbehaviour

willturnedtobetheirhabitualoccurrence,wherethereinforcementisnotinneed.Operant

conditioningreflectsonawiderangeofbehaviour,whereeachbehaviourcanbeshapedto

desire,includingattitudes,valuesandroutines.Infact,withsuchreinforcement,itisa

methodthatallowstheanimalstocompletedailypracticalsignificance(McLeod,2007).

Ontheotherhand,notonlythisexperimentwillanalysetheanimals'learningprocess

throughoperantconditioning,anotherlearningbehaviourinoccurrenceiswhatisknownto

beclassicalconditioning.Thisbasicallyinvolveactionhappennaturallyfromtheanimals

themselveswithoutbeingtaughtinitially,oritsimplysay,itstheirreflexiveresponses.The

waythisworksis2typesofstimulus,conditionedandunconditioned,willbeworking

together.Inthiscase,thefoodthatwillbeprovidedforthehamsterateachendofthemaze
actasanunconditionedstimulus,asthehamsterrealisedthereisfood,theywillrespond

withoutbeingtaughtinitially.However,themazeisaneutralstimulusthatthehamstermight

takeawhiletogetusetoit,assothemazeisaconditionedstimulus.Whenthefood,an

unconditionedstimulus,combinedwiththeeightpathwaysmaze,aconditionedstimulus,it

willurgearesponseofarunninghamster.Asareflection,classicalconditioningisan

essentialconceptoftheanimalslearningbehaviourbecauseitemphasisestheanimals

interactionwiththeirsurroundings,naturally.Thiscanthenbeadaptedintowaysthathelps

preparetheanimalfromharmoranypredictablebiologicalevents,includingsexually

movementandinteraction.Asforthat,itisalsoapplicableinthetreatmentscommunityof

therapy,suchassystematicdesensitisation(ApplicationsofClassicalConditioningtoHuman

Behaviour,n.d.).

Theimportanceofthiswillhelpsusdeterminehowomega3impactedtheirbrain,

reflectingtheircognitionthroughthewaytheybehaveandrespond.Ontopofthat,theresult

fromtheexperimentcanbebranchedoffintomanyotherareaofstudyingaboutlearning

discovery,suchasitcanbeappliedtootherspecies,includinghuman.

Hamstersliketoeatseed,grains,nut,fruitsandvegetable.Andnaturally,hamsters

lovetoeat.TheprimarybalanceddietforhamstersincludeProteinsusedforgrowthand

tissuerepair,CarbohydratesandFatsasanenergyandwarmthprovider,Vitaminstokeep

hamsterinagoodhealth,Mineralsforbuildingupstrongbones,andwater,thebasisneedfor

bodytofunction.Hamstersalsoneedfreshandcleanfoodsonadailybasis(HamsterDiet

andNutrition,n.d).Nottomention,apureandcleanlivingspaceforboththeirmentaland

physicalhealth.

Themajorissuethatisneededtobeaddressediswhetherornotomega3canboost

thebrainfunctionandperformbettercognitiontest.Omega3playsanimportantroleforcell
membranesandisnecessaryforthehelpingtoimprovethebrainfunctionandbehavior

(Julius,2010).And,asomega3leadtoahealthylifeasmentionedabove,hamstersareless

likelytogetanybraindiseasesorbehaviordisordersuchasonmemory,cognition,and

aggressivebehavior

Omega3helpsreducethedamagecausedbystresstothebrain.Thiscausescognitive

problemsandstresssinceomega6increasesinflammationduetostressandcortisolprevents

formationofDHAalongchainomega3fat.(BenefitsofOmega3forLearningand

Memory,n.d).Omega3willhelpthehamstertoreleasetheirstressfromhormonecalled

cortisol.Thiscortisolisnotgoodforhamstermentalhealth.

FoodsthatarehighinOmega3includeegg,milk,oats.(HamsterDietandNutrition,

n.d).Omega3containedfoodisveryimportantbecausethehamsterthatisexperimental

groupmustconsumetheomega3.Omega3willhelpthehamstertodowellonthe

experimentthanthehamsterthatconsumespellets.

Theratthatconsumesanenriched(more)omega3containedfoodgainmoreweight

duringthetimeofarestraintstress;ontheotherhand,ratsthatconsumeadietofnormalor

lackedomega3tendtoloseweightoverthesameperiodoftimeunderthesamecondition.

Noticethatalltherathadthesamebodyweightatthestartoftheexperiment.Theliquid

analyzesshowedtheamountofDHAconcentrationisproportionaltotheomega3

consumptionofthedietandasthechronicrestraintstressprocedurereducedthe

incorporationofDHAintobrainmembranephospholipids,itmeansthatthemoreomega3

consumed,thebetteritstodealwiththestressinordertomaintainasuitableDHA

concentration.(InfluenceofOmega3FattyAcidStatusontheWayRatsAdapttoChronic

RestraintStress,2012).Omega3ratwillgainweightinstressfulconditions.Butratsthatdo

notgetomega3willhavelowerweightconditionsbecauseofconsumptionofpellets.Omega
3isfoundinfoodsthatcauseweightgain.Astheresultcameout,tooconsumedtheomega3

atagoodlevelwillcooldownthestressthatcausesthechangeinDHAconcentration.

Fromtheabove,omega3playssuchabigimpactinthebrainprocessingsystem,soit

iscrucialtoknowwhetherornotprovidingthehamsterwithfoodshighinomega3will

resultsinbetterperformancesoveranassumptionofanormaldiet.Asso,theresearch

questionisWhichhamsterwillbeabletorunthroughamazefaster,withonehamsterfed

foodshighinomega3andotherotheranormalhamsterdiet?"

Hypothesis:

Ifonehamsterisfedwithomega3baseddietcompletelyandtheotherhamsterisfed

withnormalhamsterdiet,thenthehamsterfedwithomega3baseddietwillbesmarterand

havebettermemorytowalkthroughthemazebecauseomega3hasbeenknowntoimprove

manyorganismsmentalability.

LiteratureReview:

1. BasedonActaPhysiologicaHungarica,theexperimentTheeffectofomega3on

cognitioninhypothyroidadultmaleratsstatedthatbrainfunctioninvolvedthehelpfrom

Omega3andthyroidhormones.Inthisresearch,theexperimentfocusedontheeffectof

omegathreeoncognitioninhypothyroidadultmalerats.Omega3hasplayedamajorroleof

brainsfunctionandalsobeacomponentofneurone'smembrane.

Materialsandmethods:
Animal:Adultmalealbinowasusedfortheexperiment.

Experiment:30ratsweredividedintothreegroups:1)Controlgroupwillreceivewaterat

firstandstopgivingthematlast,2)Hypothyroidgroupwillreceiveacarbimazolewhichisan
antithyroiddrugforsixweeks,3)Omega3treatedgroupwillreceivebothcarbimazoleand

omegathreefromweek26.Allthreegroupswillgetfoodandasupplementequally.

TheControlVariableoftheexperimentisthefood,waterandenvironmentalcondition,

meaningthesearefactorsthatallratsintheexperimentwillencounter.Behaviouraltesting

wasthenconductedtoseethebehaviourofratsusingEightarmradialmazes.Inthis,

initially,plentyoffoodwasplacedalloverthemazesothatratswillgetfamiliarwiththe

maze.Lateron,reducethenumberoffoodinthemazeandallowsomearmstobefreefrom

foodandsomethatcontainthefood.Ratswillbeexpectedtoremembertheplaceofthefood

placedinthemazeasameasureoftheirmemorisingability.Entryintoarmsthatdonot

containthefoodwillbecountedasworkingmemoryerrors.Areentrytoanyarmsthatthe

rathaseatenthefoodfromwillalsobecountedasaworkingmemoryerrors.Likewise,this

observationwasmadeeachdayforfourconsecutivedaysforanalysispart.Anotheraspectof

testingtheworkingmemoryofratswasPassiveavoidancetest,atestthatconsistsofDark

andLightcompartment;Darkcompartmentwouldcauseanelectricshockontherat.Inthis,

ratswereallowedtoexplorethecompartmentandwouldreceiveanelectricshockwhenever

theyenterthedarkcompartment.Ratswereexpectedtoenterthedarkcompartmentlessthan

before.Areentryintothedarkcompartmentafterbeingelectrocutediscountedasaworking

memoryerror.Themoretimestheratenters,thelargerthemagnitudeoftheworking

memoryerrors.Inlatencyforenteringthedarkcompartmentwasrecorded.Behavioural

testing:Experimentshowsadeclineinworkingmemoryerrorsinallthreegroupsofrats.

However,Theleastnumberoferrorswerenoticedinthecontrolgroupwhereasthemost

wereobservedinthehypothyroidgroup.Passiveavoidancetesting:Experimentshowsthat

thecontrolgrouphadthefastestreactiontimeascomparedtoallothergroups.The

hypothyroidgrouphadimpairedavoidancelearningandshowedtheveryslowreactionwhen
enteringthedarkcompartment.Theomega3treatedgroup,however,showedanimmediate

reactiontime.Theexperimentconductoragreesandbelieves,fromtheresultofthe

experiment,thattheratwasnotreceivinganyadditionaldrugsorfoodperformmore

effectivelyinmazerunning,andothermemoryrequiredtasksthantheratthatsgiven

additionaldrugorfood.Thisisbecausetheexperimentresultsshowthatcontrolgroupmade

theleastnumberoferrorswhenputtoperform,aparticulartask.Additionally,theauthoralso

believedthatthemosteffectivewaytoconducttheexperimentisbyusingtheeightarmed

maze.Thisisbecauseeightarmedmazeallowstheconductortotestthememoryof,therat

moreeffectively.Theauthorthewoulddisagreethatanyadditionalchangeinfoodorany

consumptionwouldhelpincreasetheperformanceofhamsterrunninginthemaze.

Thisexperimentrequirestheproficiencyinpettingtheanimalsandlotofexperience

inusinglaboratoryequipment.Asmallmistakeinmanipulatinganyofthevariablesinthe

experimentwouldresultinapotentialerrorandinaccuratemeasurementresults.Theability

tomakethehamsterfeelcomfortableinordertoproduceaccurateresultsisoneofthe

requirementsforconductingtheexperiment.Therefore,thedownsideoftheexperimentis

neededforskillsinworkingwithanimals.Theprosoftheexperiment,however,isthe

methodoffindingtheaccurateresults.Byallowingtheratstowalkfreelyinamaze,itcanbe

observedclearlytheratthatwouldbeabletofindtheirfoodmorequicklywithmaking

errors.

Thegroupexperimentaldesignisverysimilartotheexperimentdoneintheliterature

review.Experimenttobeperformedwillbeconductedinaneightarmmaze,inwhichthe

hamsterswillbethedetermineroftheexperiment.Onesimilarfactorbetweentheexperiment
doneandtheonetobeperformedistheplacementoffoodoneacharmtodeterminethe

workingmemoryoftheorganism.Thereentryintothearmiscountedasanerror.However,

thedifferentvariablebetweenthetwoexperimentistheorganisms.Anotheraspect,inthe

plannedexperiment,aslightbentedgewasaddedtohelpensureamoreaccurateoutcome.

Thehamsterswillrelyuponwillnotusetheireyesighttoseethefoodoneacharm,butrather

ontheirmemorytoworkrememberthelocationofthefood.

2. Omega3isanessentialnutrientindailylife.AccordingtoNationalCentrefor

BiotechnologyInformationundertheheadlineInfluenceofOmega3FattyAcidStatuson

theWayRatsAdapttoChronicRestraintStressstatethatOmega3isimportantforthe

neuronefunction,cognitionandalsohelptopreventthehamsterfromstressormoody.

Intheexperiment,theresearchercreatesarepeatedrestraintstresstothethreegroups

ofadultrats;thefirstgroupisthecontrolwhichisthegroupthatwillgethigholeic

sunflowerandrapeseedoils.Thesecondgroupistheomegathreedeficientgroupwhosewill

getonlysunfloweroil.Andthethirdgroupisanomegathreeenrichedwhichgetsunflower

andtunaoils.Thereasonthattheresearcherhastwoexperimentalgroupsistocomparethe

resultsfromthetwogroupandthecontrolgroup.Iftheexperimentershadonlygottendata

fromthecontrolgroupandenrichomega3group,thentheresultwillonlyallow

demonstratingwhetheromega3isbetterthannormaldiet.However,iftheomegathree

deficientgroupisadded,thentheresultthatisgottenwillhelpdeterminethecostandbenefit

ofomega3.Andalsohelpthereadertodofurtherresearchabouttheamountofomega3in

thefoodandtheeffectonanimalsbehaviourandbrainfunction.
 Thecontrolvariablesincluderoomtemperaturewhichmustbeat+/22c,thelife

cycleis1212wherethelightis7am7pm,andwaterisgivenasdesire.Theexperimenterhas

tomakesurethatallratswerekeepunderthesameconditiontopreventfrombiasresult.

Fortheexperimentalmethod,itsstartedbygivingeachofWistarratsgroupswith

theirassignedfoodwithanadlibwater.Thesefemaleswillthenforcetomateaftertheyre

fedwiththisroutinefortwoweeks.Bygivingtheassignedfoodpriortwoweeksbeforethe

femaleratsweremated,theiroffspringwillbeabletoabsorbthosenutrientsfrommumsince

theyreembryo.

Afterthefemalegivesbirthtotheoffspring,themaleoffspringwillbedistributed

randomlyintothreegroups.Eachgroupwillbeassignedtoeatoneofthethreetypeoffoods

(control,omega3deficient,andomega3enriched.)Thentheywillbesenttoliveinthesame

cagewiththemotherwhohasthesamediet.Inthefirstthreemonths,theratwillget25gof

foodeach;thentheyllget20goffoodadayuntiltheirageissixmonths.Theweightwillbe

measuredeverytwoweeksandwillbeweighteveryweekduringthestressprocedure.The

weightisthemeasuretomakesurethatalltheratsweresafeandalright.Sincetheratsget

thesametypeandequalamountoffood,theirweightsupposestobethesameornotmuch

difference.Whenitstimeforthemazerunninganexperiment,theweighthelpstomakesure

thatthey'reraisedunderthesamelivingcondition.

Bodyweightresultcomesoutthatallrathasaweightbetween6.5+/2atbirth.After

sixmonthsofparticulardietary,theomega3enrichedgroupgain10%moreweightthanthe

othertwogroups.Eventhoughtheratsinallgrouphaslosttheweightduringstressperiod,

theomega3enrichedgroupgainweightfasterthantheothertwogroups.
 Whentheratreachestheageofsixmonths,itistimetoenterthewiremesh

restrainer.Eachratwillbeplacedintherestrainerfor6hoursadayforthe21daysto

measuretheirstress,andthentheyweregroupingthestressandunstressratintosix

categoriesincludestressedcontrolgroup,unstressedcontrolgroup,stressedomega3

deficient,unstressedomega3deficient,stressedomega3enriched,unstressedomega3

enriched.Byseparatingtheratintostressandunstressgroup,theexperimentercanlearnthe

connectionbetweenthedietofrat,thestressafterratgoingthroughthestressprocedure,and

theabilitytorunamaze.

Finally,theratsweregroupedintosixcategories;eachratwasplacedintosixarm

mazetotesttheirbehaviour.Itrevealsthatinomegathreedeficiencygroups,stressedrats

hadalowermotoractivityscoresignificantthanunstressedrats.However,inomegathree

enrichedgrouphasnodifferenceinscorebetweenstressandunstressgroup.Moreover,the

stressomegathreeenrichgrouphavethehigherscorethanothertwostressgroup.Thisresult

oftheratsweightshowsthattheomega3enrichgroupscanrecuperatefasterthanthe

controlanddeficientomega3group.Moreover,themotorscoreofbehaviouralsosupports

thatomegathreeenrichhaveapositiveeffectonratsbehaviour.

Thisexperimentrequiresalotoftimetodotheexperimentsinceitistestingonthe

firstgenerationofmaleratsthatbornfromafemalethathastoeatanassignedfoodfortwo

weeksbeforemating.Andthosemaleoffspringwillbeusedintheexperimentforatleastsix

months.Totestthebehaviouroftherats,itrequiresamotorwhichistheobjectthatcouldnt

findinthedailylife.Thegoodpointaboutthisexperimentisthattherewerethedifferent

experimentalgroupwhichisomegathreeenrichandomegathreedeficientwhichhelpto

determinetheeffectofhavingandnothavingomega3.
 Fromstudyingthetwoexperiments,bothexperimentsfeeddifferentfoodbuthavethe

samecontrolgrouprats.Theexperimentisfocusedontheuseofomega3asanexperimental

group.Butthefirstoneusedhypothyroidasanotherexperimentalgroup.Goalsofboth

experimentsweretodeterminetheeffectsofdifferentnutrientfromdifferentfoodseffects

ontherat'sbodyfunctioning.Theresultofthefirstexperimentshowsthateachgroup

performbetterthantheothersindifferentsituationsgiven.However,onthesecond

experimentitshowsthatthecontrolgroupspenttheleasetimetogetoutofanopenarm

maze.Theweightoftheratofthisgroupalsoreducewhichmeantheyaremorestressed.

Afterdiscussionwiththegroupmember,aconclusionhasbeenmadewhichistousenormal

dietforacontrolgroupandhighomega3foodasaexperimentalgroup.Bysettingitthis

way,theresultwereabletocomparehowomega3reallyeffectthehamsterscognitionlevel.

Thenatestwillbemadetoexaminetheeffectofdietthroughtheabilitytomemorizethe

armsofthemaze.

KnowledgeGap:

Intheliteraturereview,informationregardingrathasbeenfound.Inthefirst

experimentsfound,ratsarecategorisedintogroupsandgivendifferentenvironment

conditionstothrive:Hypothyroidgroup,omega3treatedgroupandcontrolgroup.Fromthis,

itwastobedeterminedtheratthatwouldperformbestinthemazeandthepassiveavoidance

test.Basedontheresults,ithasbeenfoundthatcontrolgroupperformbestinboth

experiments.Inthesecondexperiment,theresultshowsthatratthatconsumesomegathree

foodabletogainweightfasterthanthedeficientomega3andcontrolgroup.Andthese

groupsalsodidbestinrunningasixarmmaze.
 Infuture,ourexperiment,however,focusesonfindinghowhamsterswouldbe

affectedbydifferentfoodcondition:Omega3richandanormaldiet.Themethodfor

determiningthebetterhamsterwouldbeusinganeightarmedmaze.Therefore,the

knowledgegapbetweenthefutureandexperimentandtheexperimentdoneinthepastisthe

differencesinorganisms.

ResearchQuestion:

Whichhamsterswillbeabletorunthroughamazefaster,withonehamsterfedaraw

vegetablesandtheotheranormalhamsterdiet?

OverviewofExperimentDetails:

Inthisproject,theexperimentwillbebasedontwohamsters,inwhichoneofthem

willbefedwithahighomega3food,buttheotheronewithpellets.Atthattimethe

participantswillthenmakeamazeforthehamsteroutofbalsawood.Themazeisrequiredto

betallerthanthehamster;otherwise,whenparticipantslethamsterrunthroughthemazeit

maycheatbyclimbupthewall(balsawood).Atthefinishlineparticipantswillputsomeof

thehamsterfoodsinthefooddishesinordertoattachthehamster.First,oneofthehamster

willbechosenrandomly.Soifparticipantschoosethefirstonethatfedbyhighomega3to

runthemazefirst.Participantswilltimingthetimeittakestocompletethemazeandrecordit

downonthedatatable.Then,thesamemethodwillberepeatedforthehamsterthatisfedby

pelletsandwritetheresultdown.Participantswillrepeattheexperimentforabout35times
beforefindingtheaverageforeachofthehamsterstoseewhichhamstercanrunthroughthe

mazefaster.

ListofMaterials:

1. 2MaleHamsters
2. Controlgroupsfood:Oxbowfood,hardboiledegg,milk
3. Experimentalgroupsfood:egg,milk,oats
4. Hamsterfacilities:Hamstercage,bedding,fooddishes,waterbottle,

toys
5. Maze:balsawood,scissor,tape,glue,stopwatch,rulermeter,saw

Methodology:

1. Firstofall,putthehamsterintheirowncageandletthemrunandplayaround

thecagesotheycanfeelmorecomfortablewiththenewplace.
2. Then,itisessentialtobuildingagoodrelationshipwiththehamsters.Placed

thehamstersfoodonthehandbeforeputtingthehandintothecageandlethamster

runtoeatthefoodfromhand.Bydoingthis,thehamsterwilllearnthatanytimethe

handwasplacedinthecage,anditwillbetheirfeedingtime.
3. Whenthehamsterstartstobefamiliarwiththehand,itistimetopickitup

fromthecageandputtheminthemaze.Beforepickingitstraightup,makingsure

thatitdontfrighten.Bydoingso,justnudgeitgentlywithafingerbeforepickitup.
4. Feedthetwohamsterswiththeirassignedfoodasmuchastheydesirefor

3days.Thecontrolhamsterwillbefedwiththehamsterpellets.Andtheexperiment

hamsterwillbefedwithfoodthatishighinOmega3includingegg,milk,oats.The

foodwillbeplacedateachendoftheeightarms.Theywillhavetoruntotheendof

thearminordertoeatthefood.However,eachendwillbeplacedmorethanone

pieceoffood.
 5. Fortherestoftheexperiment,wellgiveonly85%ofitsoriginalconsumption

(forbothhamsters)
6. Onday4,putonepieceoffoodoneachendoftheeightarms.Placehamster

inthecentre.Anduseastopwatchtothetimingfor10minutes.(Repeatthisstepwith

anotherhamster)
7. Onday5,dothesamemethodasdayfourbutstartrecordingthetimeandthe

numberofarmsthatthehamstergoesinto.Plus,recordtheerrorthatcausedby

hamstergoingintothearmthathasalreadybeento.Repeatthisforday(68)

MazeDesignandJustification:

Eightarmmazewithslightbendattheendofeacharm:Thereasonfor

choosingthismazedesignistotestthehamstersmemorizingabilityofwhetheror
 nottheycanrememberthepaththeywentandnotgoinginthesamepathagain.Not

onlyisthisdesigneffectiveintestinghamstersmemoryinadifferentwaybutitis

alsouniqueintermsoftheirshape.
Thismazehascenterplatformwitheightarmsprotrudedradiallyoutward

withaslightbendingattheendofeacharms.Thepurposeofhavingmultiarmsisto

testwhetherornothamstersrecognizethepaththehavebeentoandnotgoingthere

twiceormore.Themoreintelligenthamsterwouldpotentiallybebetteratrecognizing

thepathsandthuslesslikelytobetricked.Aslightbendingoftheendofeacharmsis

forhidingthefoodfromhamsters.Sohamsterswillnotdecideontakingacertain

pathbasedonwhattheyseebutratherrelyontheirmemorytodecidewhichpaththey

tooktonotrepeatgoingthere.

MethodologyLiteratureReview:

BasedonResearchAnimalResources(Cooper, n.d.) statedthatmicecouldbe

movedfromoneplacetoanotherwiththebarehand,ithastobegentlyandslow

becausemicearequiltedanimal.Peoplemightgetbittenormakethemafraideasily.

Aratcanbeheldbythumbandfinger.Itspositioncaneitherhangquietlyorturn

aroundtositonthepalm.Therefore,tocarryhamsterfromthecagetothemaze,the

hamstermustfeelcalmandnotscared.

Fromtheresearch,(Shukla,2011)beforehamsterispickuportouch,it

shouldbefamiliarandawareofthepresenceofanotherthingfirst.Bydoingthis,the

hamstershouldbeknownthatwhentheirbodycontactwiththefinger,itmeansno

harm.Andthatiswhenpeopleweregoingtocarrythem.Withthefrightening

condition,thehamstercanbestressful.Toadaptthistotheexperiment,thehamster
shouldlearntoinurewiththefingerandhand.Moreover,fromthisresearch,itholds

thathamsterwillbefamiliarwithoneanother,especiallythesamesex.However,the

hamsterwillbeveryaggressivetowardstrangeanimals.Toconclude,hamster

shouldntbeinthesameareaorsamecagewiththedifferencesex,species.

AccordingtotheJournalofExperimentalPsychology(Mcdonald,2014):

AnimalBehaviorProcesses,ratsinitiallytestedoneightarmedmazesperformed

efficientlyinrememberingthesamplesplacedatdifferentarms,attemptingnotto

visitthearmstheyhavebeenthrough.
Procedure:ThefirststageiscalledexplorationTheratsweregivenan

unlimitedfoodforthewholeninedays.(15minseachday).Nofoodrepresentedin

apparatusinthisday.
ThesecondstageistheFreeChoicewhereratsweregivenaspecific

amountoffoodinordertobringtheweightdownto85%ofadlibfood(*adlibfood

meanthefoodasmuchasdesire)Thisdailyweregiventoratsforthewhole

experiment.Fortheday1019.PurinaLabCow(thetypeoffood)wereplacedatthe

endofeacharm.Theneachratwasplacedatthecentreofthemazeandwasgiven

10minsor16choices.
Thenextfivedays,thefoodwasplacedononeoftheeightarmsofthemaze.

Iftheratwasinfluencedbythepresenceoffoodonthatparticulararm,thentherat

shouldreturntothearmafterfewerchoicesthanthatwhenfoodisabsent.
Forthelastthreedays,theodourofeitherlotionoroldspicesinthecentreand

allthearms.(TheauthorhypothesisedthatIfthesenseoffoodisstillinfluencethe

ratstorunthroughthearm,thenitwillbelessaccuracythanthefreechoice.
Results:Forthefirstfewdays,theratsonlyrunaroundthecentre.Overthe

nextfewdays,theratstartedslowlyventuringaroundthearmsofthemaze;someare
hesitantandpauseattheedgeoftheplatform.However,oncesteppedononeofthe

arms,theywenttotheendbeforereturning.Itwasnoticedthatwiderarmsare

preferredthanthesmallerarmsare.
Forthefreechoiceresult,therehasbeenanincreasinginsomeconsuming.

Forthefirstfewtrial,theratsweren'teatingtheplateleteventhoughtheycansmell

andseeit.Afterafewdays,allthebetterwereeaten.Asbefore,theratswillstopat

theedgeofthearmbeforechoosingit,andoncethey'vechosen,theyllrununtilthe

end.
ForRebait,replacingfoodononeofthearmshadnoapparenteffectonthe

accuracyofchoicebehaviour.Theratswouldatleastvisiteightarmsofthemaze

beforechoosingthearmswiththefoodattheendofitanyway.
Foraddedodour,inthebeginning,theratswerereachedtothesceneoflotion,

andsomeofthemwerewalkingaroundthecentrewhilesomeweren'teatingthe

pelletattheend.Intheseconddayofodouradded,alltheratswereruntotheendof

anarmandeatallofthepallets.Inconclusion,theodorhasalittleeffectinan

accuracyofthechoicebehaviour.
Forallprocedures,ingeneral,ratstendednottochoosethesamearmschosen,

althoughtherewereveryfewcasesinwhichtwotothreeadjacentarmswereelected

inorder.Theratsoftenrespondedinaclockwiseorcounterclockwiseand90degree

tothearmsjustchosen.
Inspiration:Fromreadingtheexperimentabouttheratsabilitytorunamaze

indifferentconditions,adesignsabilitytotesttheratsperformanceisinaunique

way.Ittestedtheeffectsofdifferentfactorsthatcouldpotentiallychangethewayrats

walkthroughamaze.Therefore,theexperimentwouldliketoadaptfromthis

experimentinthesewaystofindoutabouttheratsmemoryandabilitytoadapttoa

uniquelydesignedmaze.
Ethical/HumaneConsiderations:

Inordertobeginanexperiment,itisveryessentialthattheparticipantconsiders

safetyasthenumberonepriority,thisisduetothefactthatitissuchasensitivesubject.In

fact,forthisparticularexperiment,theparticipanthavetobeextracarefulbecausetheywill

beworkingwithanimals.Aftermanybrainstorminganddiscussions,adecisionhasbeen

madethatthemazebodywillbemadeoutofBalsaWoodbecauseitissturdy,lightweight

andmostimportantlyithasasofttouchtoit.Thissofttexturewillensurethatthewood

doesnthaveanysharpedgesorsmallbitsofsplintersexposed.Infact,tobetterguarantee

thispoint,thewoodshouldbepassedthroughafilingprocessusingsandpapertogetridof

anywoodsplintersthatmayhavetostickout,whichmayharmthehamsterssensitiveskin.

Moreover,forthefood,itissuretobecleanwithnotoxicordangerouschemicalsincontact.

Everyrawvegetableusedintheexperimentwillbefullywashedwithcarebeforeproviding

ittothehamster.Asforanyothermaterials,participantsmustmakesureitissafebycleaning

itbeforeuse.Whilethematerialsareunderconsideration,participantsshouldensurethatthe

hamsteritselfarenotstressedduringtraining.Todoso,participantsshouldgobackandforth

totheircageandplaywiththem,sotheyarenotboredandstressedout.Also,playingwith

themroutinelywillallowthishamstertobefamiliarwithhumanbehavioursotheyarenot

panickingontheactualexperimentday.Onthebaseofplayingwiththem,someprecautions

mustalwaysbelisted.Tominimisethehamstersstressasmuchaspossible,beforepicking

themup,participantsshouldnudgeitgentlywithafingerandgraduallypickthemup,

handlingthemcarefullywithbothhands.Thispartmustnotbeoverlookedbecauseifthe

hamsteraredistressedorfrightenedanyhow,notonlyitwillbedifficulttoperformthe

experiment,butitcanalsoleadtheparticipanttoapainfulharm.Anotherpointthatevery

participantshouldkeepinmindistoperformtheexperimentquietlysothatitwontdisturb
thehamster,mentally.Aswellasduringtheexperimentday,anytoysorformof

entertainmentmustbeseparatedduetothefactthatthehamsterscangetoverlyexcitedand

jumparoundcausingmorestresses.Lastly,ofcourse,forparticipantsownsafety,itis

importantthattheparticipantsalwayskeepclean,bothbeforeandafter,theexperimentby

washingthehandsthoroughly.Thiswillensurethatnotoxicchemicalsareintactfromthe

experimenterandpassontotheanimals.Allperformancemustbeunderadult'ssupervision

soanyimmediateproblemsoccurredcaneasilybehandle.Ifforsomereasonanyofthe

groupmembersgotbitebythehamsterduringtheexperiment,theymustkeepcalm,soit

doesntcauseanyinjuriesoranxietytotheanimalswhilecallingforasupervisorassoonas

possible.

DataCollectionsandLimitations:

Usethelearningrecordformwheneveranythingismakingaprogresswiththedate

statedtokeeptrackofyourlearningovertime.

Day Data Hamster1 Hamster2

1 Numberoferrors

Time

Recordthenumberoftimeseachhamstervisitseacharmoftheeightarmedmaze.A

visittothesamearmtwiceormoreiscountedasanerror.Noticeanumberoftimesoferror

donebyeachhamsterandcompare.Thehamstersthatmademoremistakeswillbe

consideredaslessintelligent.Theintelligencelevelofeachhamsterwilldeterminewhich

independentvariable(food)oftheexperimentisthemosteffectiveforthemaseachhamster
maintainsdifferentdiet;theonewaseatingrawvegortheotherwiththenormaldiet.Ifthe

numberoferrorsisthesameforeitherhamster,thenmeasuretheamountoftimetakenfor

eachhamstertocompleteallthearms.

Limitation:

Thesmellofthefoodcanguidethehamstersway.Duringtheexperiment,hamsters

mightbemisguidedbythesmellsofthefood,whichweakenstheexperimentaldesign

becauseitbasesonhamstersusingtheirmemorytoleadtheirway.

Conclusion:

Thisexperimentwillhelpustounderstandtherelationshipbetweendifferenttypesof

HamstersfoodNormalhamstersdietandhighomegathreefoodandtheHamsters

learningability.Fromobservingthehamstersbehaviourinthemaze,theidealfoodfor

hamsterscouldbeidentified.Knowingthetypeofgoodqualityfoodforhamstersinthereal

worldwillhelpinthedevelopmentofwelfareofhamsters.

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