Generalization after form discrimination in light-reared and dark-reared rats.

In 2 experiments the performance of 90- and 150-day-old light-reared and dark-reared rats was compared under appetitive reinforcement conditions on rigorous tests of form discriminative abilities. Although early stimulatory history had little impact on either the ability to discriminate shapes on the basis of contour orientation or to generalize from that initial experience to lines in other orientations lack of visual experience did have significant consequences with respect to a comparable task in which the relationship between lines was the significant feature. Little change in the initial deficits was observed with exposure to a normal light environment for 60 days following the period of early visual deprivation in the case of this 2nd complex pattern discrimination task.