Observational learning in rats: Interplay between demonstrator and observer behavior

Observational learning is a vital skill for survival. This form of learning has been seen in humans and certain non-human animals. However, the neural circuitry underlying this form of learning is still poorly understood. To better understand the factors underlying successful observation in rats, we employed a task where an observer must base its behavior on that of a demonstrator rat to identify a reward location. A comparison was made of behavior during a social and non-social observation condition. Observers oriented more, responded faster and omitted less responses in the social compared to the non-social condition. Observer performance was also linked to initial orientation, proximity, and the manner in which the demonstrator rat performed the task. Previous work on observational learning encompassed multiple exposures to a single solution over days or weeks. The current method provides data from multiple individual novel observational learning trials, leading to much faster and more robust social learning. This method provides a clearly defined interval in which observation must take place. Allowing for precise tracking of both the observer and demonstrator behavior during the learning period. This study highlights observer and demonstrator interplay in successful observational learning and provides a novel method for analyzing social behavior in rodents. •A novel observation learning paradigm that encompasses multiple individual trials.•The rats showed fast and robust social learning.•Responses were more accurate and faster when observing a conspecific than a cue.•The behavior of the demonstrator rat influenced the performance of the observer rat.•Observer’s initial proximity and orientation were related to successful performance.