Schwartz J M, Cogan D C
Dev Psychobiol. 1977 Jul;10(4):355-8. doi: 10.1002/dev.420100410.
Twenty larval tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) were collected from a playa lake in West Texas and maintained in the laboratory for 7 days prior to the beginning of position training. Ten subjects in the larval state were trained on a position problem in a T-maze for 5 trials per day to a criterion of 80% correct responses, using a self-correction procedure. Following metamorphosis to the adult stage, these subjects were tested for retention. The remaining 10 subjects were allowed to metamorphose prior to training on the position problem. The results indicate reliably faster learning in the adult (terrestrial) subjects, and reliable retention of the response following metamorphosis. These results, taken in conjunction with informal observation of the behavior of the subjects in the experimental environment, suggest that the performance of the adult subjects was a result of their better perceptual apparatus.
从西德克萨斯的一个干盐湖中收集了20只虎螈幼体（钝口螈属），并在位置训练开始前在实验室饲养7天。10只处于幼体状态的受试动物在T型迷宫中接受位置问题训练，每天进行5次试验，采用自我纠正程序，直至达到80%正确反应的标准。变态发育为成年阶段后，对这些受试动物进行记忆保持测试。其余10只受试动物在接受位置问题训练之前先进行变态发育。结果表明，成年（陆生）受试动物的学习速度明显更快，并且变态发育后对反应有可靠的记忆保持。这些结果，结合在实验环境中对受试动物行为的非正式观察，表明成年受试动物的表现是其更好的感知器官的结果。
