​Rats are neophobic (i.e. afraid of new experiences) and show a reluctance to eat new things.  Often, rats will only sample a small amount of a novel food, and return later if the first sampling did not make them sick.  This is believed to be an adaptive behavior in the wild where new foods may be poisonous.  However, rats may eat a novel food they encounter if they have other reasons to expect that it is not dangerous to ingest.  For example, in the social transmission of food preference paradigm (STFP) an “observer rat” can learn about the palatability of a food by exposure to a “demonstrator rat” that has previously eaten the food.  It has been shown that the smell of the food on the demonstrator (particularly its breath) signals to the observer rat that the food is safe to eat.  In the following experiment we will investigate this effect by testing whether the observer rat prefers the demonstrated food.

 

Procedure

There are three phases of this experiment: a demonstration phase, an interaction phase and a test phase. Each one is described below.  Demonstrator rats will be at 85% of their free feeding weight.  Observer rats will be provided food and water ad libitum.

 

WEEK 1

 

 

Phase 1: DEMONSTRATION PHASE

Demonstrator rats are exposed to assigned flavor for 10 minutes.  Demonstrator rats will be placed in the open field apparatus with a small, plastic dish of 25 flavored pellets placed in the open field (dish in the same location as in the observer phase).  After 10 minutes, or after all of the pellets are eaten, record how many pellets the demonstrator rat has eaten.  Remove the demonstrator and dish of pellets from the open field.  If less than 5 pellets were eaten, the flavored powder from the pellets should be wiped around the demonstrator’s snout prior to the interaction phase. Wipe down the apparatus.

 

Demonstrator​​Flavor of Food Pellet

Rat #25​                  ​CINNAMON​​

​Rat #26​​       ​ COCOA​​​       ​

​Rat #27​​        ​CINNAMON

​Rat #28​​        ​COCOA​​       ​

 

Phase 2: INTERACTION PHASE

Both demonstrator and observer rats are placed in the open field apparatus together for 30 minutes.  Begin by placing the rats in opposite corners, with each one facing the walls.

 

Record the following 3 types of interactions:

1. Number of anterior- anterior (head to head) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

2. Number of anterior-posterior (head to body or hindlimb section) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

3. Amount of time (in minutes) the observer spends in the same quadrant of the open field as the demonstrator.

 

After 30 minutes, return both the demonstrator (mark on tail) and observer to their home cages.  Wipe down the open field.   Enter data into Excel spreadsheet.

 

AFTER A 5 MINUTE BREAK, REPEAT BOTH THE DEMONSTRATION

PHASE AND INTERACTION PHASE.

 

 

 

Week 1 Data Collection Sheet

 

 

 

Demonstrator Rat ________

Demonstrator Flavor ___________

Observer Rat ________

 

Demonstrator Phase:

 

​Number of pellets eaten ________

​

Interaction Phase: (record observer performed actions only)

 

​Number of anterior-anterior (head to head) interactions _________

​Number of anterior-posterior (head to body) interactions _________

Amount of time spent in same quadrant _________

 

WEEK 2

 

Phase 1: DEMONSTRATION PHASE

Demonstrator rats are exposed to assigned flavor for 10 minutes.  Demonstrator rats will be placed in the open field apparatus with a small, plastic dish of 25 flavored pellets placed in the open field (dish in the same location as in the observer phase).  After 10 minutes, or after all of the pellets are eaten, record how many pellets the demonstrator rat has eaten.  Remove the demonstrator and dish of pellets from the open field.  If less than 5 pellets were eaten, the flavored powder from the pellets should be wiped around the demonstrator’s snout prior to the interaction phase. Wipe down the apparatus.

 

Demonstrator​​Flavor of Food Pellet

Rat #25​                  ​CINNAMON​​

​Rat #26​​       ​ COCOA​​​       ​

​Rat #27​​        ​CINNAMON

​Rat #28​​        ​COCOA​​       ​

 

Phase 2: INTERACTION PHASE

Both demonstrator and observer rats are placed in the open field apparatus together for 30 minutes.  Begin by placing the rats in opposite corners, with each one facing the walls.

 

Record the following 3 types of interactions:

1. Number of anterior- anterior (head to head) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

2. Number of anterior-posterior (head to body or hindlimb section) interactions performed by the observer to the demonstrator.

3. Amount of time (in minutes) the observer spends in the same quadrant of the open field as the demonstrator.

 

After 30 minutes, return the demonstrator (mark on tail) to its home cage and return to the colony room.  Wipe down the open field.

 

Phase 3: OBSERVER PHASE

Observer rat is exposed to two flavors, cinnamon and cocoa, to determine its food preference. A small dish of 40 cinnamon pellets is placed in the center of one quadrant of the open field, and a small dish of 40 cocoa pellets is placed in the center of the opposite quadrant (see Figure 1). This phase will include four 5-minute trials, with 3-minute intertrial intervals (ITI).  Begin each trial by placing rat in the center of the testing apparatus.  Record the amount of time the observer rat spends in the demonstrator’s flavor quadrant.  Also, record the amount of time the observer rat spends in the other flavor’s quadrant.

 

During each 3-min ITI, record the number of pellets eaten during the trial, refill the dishes to 40 pellets, and then return the dishes to the same location in the apparatus.   Food preference will be determined by the number of pellets consumed and the amount of time spent in each flavor’s quadrant.  After the 4 trials are complete, return the observer to its home cage.

 

Wipe down the open field.  Enter the data into the Excel spreadsheet.

 

Room lights should be dim (only one of the switches on). Make sure to remain as quiet as possible, as any noise or distracting movement will disturb your experiment. IMPORTANT: Avoid cross-contamination of the cinnamon and cocoa pellets by having a person handle only one flavor.

 

Some questions to keep in mind:

 

Do observer rats show an increased preference for whichever food was demonstrated to them?

 

If so, do the types of interaction and amount of contact time between demonstrator and observer rats during the demonstration phase correlate to the social transmission of food preference?

 

What is the evidence that the observer rat learned something? What would you expect if they didn’t learn anything?

 

If rats normally have a preference for one flavor before the demonstration, how could this affect the results?

 

If the observer rat were to become ill after ingesting its preferred food during the test phase, what do you think would happen to its food preference if you tested again the next day?

 

Week 2 Data Collection Sheet

 

Demonstrator Rat ________

Demonstrator Flavor ___________

Observer Rat ________

 

Demonstrator Phase:

 

​Number of pellets eaten ________

​

Interaction Phase: (record observer performed actions only)

 

​Number of anterior-anterior (head to head) interactions _________

​Number of anterior-posterior (head to body) interactions _________

Amount of time spent in same quadrant _________

 

Observer Phase:

 

​

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Number of demonstrator flavor pellets eaten

 

 

 

 

Number of other flavor pellets eaten

 

 

 

 

Time spent in demonstrator flavor quadrant

 

 

 

 

Time spent in other flavor quadrant

 

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Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resource on your own before you bid. One of the references  come from Broderick and Blewitt (2015). I need this completed by 12/21/17 at 6pm.

Moral Development

Consider what you think might be the date of origin of the following quote:

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

When might someone have made this observation: this year, this decade, or twenty years ago? Would you be surprised to learn that this quote is attributed to Socrates, who wrote in the 5th century, BC?

Members of each passing generation can often be heard uttering their disapproval of “today’s youth.” People in aging generations sometimes blame parents, the media, and society as a whole for younger generations’ declining morals and manners. They reminisce about the way things were and make blanket statements about going back to the ways things should be. While the truth to their claims can be left up to debate, there is one common element that spans all generations of adolescents: the impact of current events.

In the 1940s, the events of World War II sparked in United States citizens patriotic behaviors such as enlisting in the military. The aftermath of the war contributed to many youth in the succeeding generation seeking peace and love to overcome the plagues of war. Today, news reports are peppered with incidents of adolescents assaulting one another and sharing their conquests with the masses via social media. Bullying and the influence of social media are two examples of current issues impacting a generation. The 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 1 in 6 United States high school students admitted to being bullied through indirect communication such as e-mail or text messages (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Statistics such as these leave many to wonder whether bullying is becoming more extreme or if social media is simply beginning to highlight its severity.

As a counselor, it is important that you consider the current events that impact the children and adolescents with whom you might work.

For this Discussion, research the Walden library and/or contemporary news sources to find an article that presents a particular event highlighting immoral behavior of children or adolescents. Consider the factors that might have contributed to the behavior. Some of the following terms might be helpful to use in your research: bullying, technology, social media, consumerism, or religion.

Post by Day 4 a description of the event and the immoral behavior described in the article you selected. Then, explain factors that may have contributed to the immoral behaviors presented in the article. Finally, describe two interventions you might use to influence moral development in the individual(s) who participated in the event. Justify your response with references to this week’s Learning Resources and the current literature. Be specific.

Readings

· Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

o Chapter 6, “Realms of Cognition in Middle Childhood” (pp. 202-243)

o Chapter 7, “Self and Moral Development: Middle Childhood Through Early Adolescence” (pp. 244-281)

· Estell, D. B., Jones, M. H., Pearl, R., Van Acker, R., Farmer, T. W., & Rodkin, P. C. (2008). Peer groups, popularity, and social preference. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(1), 5–14.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

· Haste, H., & Abrahams, S. (2008). Morality, culture and the dialogic self: Taking cultural pluralism seriously. Journal of Moral Education, 37(3), 377–394.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

· Kuhn, D. (2008). Formal operations from a twenty-first century perspective. Human Development, 51(1), 48–55.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

· Psaltis, C., Duveen, G., & Perret-Clermont, A.-N. (2009). The social and the psychological: Structure and context in intellectual development. Human Development, 52(5), 291–312.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 

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