Learning in a navigation task: The role of salience of pairs of landmarks and sex differences

Abstract

In two experiments rats were trained to find an invisible platform in the presence of four objects or landmarks which were centred at equal intervals around the edge of the pool. One pair of landmarks had more intrinsic salience than the other pair: The relative proximal from the platform landmarks were those with more intrinsic salience in Experiment 1 and those with less intrinsic salience in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, the two proximal from the platform and with more intrinsic salience landmarks prevented learning about the two relatively distal from the platform and with less intrinsic salience landmarks. No sex differences were found. In Experiment 2, the two relatively distal and with more intrinsic salience landmarks did not prevent learning about the two proximal but with less intrinsic salience landmarks. No sex differences were found after extended training. These results could have implications to understand spatial overshadowing among landmarks.