Abstract

In 5 experiments rats were required to escape from a pool of water by finding a submerged
platform that varied in position from session to session. The platform was in a fixed direction
and at a fixed distance from a landmark that was located in the pool. Experiments 1-3 revealed
that the landmark was used as a reference point for information about the direction and the
distance of the platform. In Experiments 4 and 5, the landmark and platform remained in the
same place for one group but moved as one from session to session for another. Both groups
were then placed in the pool for periods without the landmark and platform. Testing with the
landmark then revealed that it controlled more accurate searching by the group trained with the
unstable than with the static landmark. The results do not support the proposal that animals are
more likely to use a static than a moving landmark as a reference point for finding a goal.