"As reported in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, the rats were presented with a rodent operated vehicle (ROV) consisting of a plastic jar on electric-powered wheels that they could move forward or steer sideways by touching a copper bar. Understandably, this is a pretty complex task for a rodent to learn, requiring all manner of cognitive, motor, and visuospatial skills they wouldn’t usually employ together. Nevertheless, after some practice, they were able to successfully navigate around a narrow arena towards a tasty reward, a super sugary Froot Loop cereal.
Out of the 11 rats tested, six were housed in standard laboratory cages, while the remaining five were given the luxury of an “enriched environment,” which included different toys and closely resembled their natural habitat.
As hypothesized, the animals living in the enriched environment performed better at the driving test, indicating that they did a better job at learning a new complex skill. The enriched rats also maintained a strong interest in the car, even after the reward of food was removed.
On the other hand, the researchers were surprised at the lack of interest shown by the non-enriched rats and their level of underachievement shown in the driving task. "
Out of the 11 rats tested, six were housed in standard laboratory cages, while the remaining five were given the luxury of an “enriched environment,” which included different toys and closely resembled their natural habitat.
As hypothesized, the animals living in the enriched environment performed better at the driving test, indicating that they did a better job at learning a new complex skill. The enriched rats also maintained a strong interest in the car, even after the reward of food was removed.
On the other hand, the researchers were surprised at the lack of interest shown by the non-enriched rats and their level of underachievement shown in the driving task. "