Rats Learned to Hide and Seek. Scientists Learned Way More.
To study something as freewheeling, spontaneous, and variable as play, researchers had to get creative.
Before they could do anything else, the neuroscientists had to teach the rats how to play hide-and-seek.
Michael Brecht at the Humboldt University of Berlin concocted the idea. His student Annika Reinhold trained six of their lab rodents to scurry around a room filled with obstacles and cardboard boxes, and either locate the hidden human or find a hiding spot themselves. , the rats picked up the game in mere weeks. They clearly understood the rules and played strategically, starting their searches in past hiding locations or keeping quiet while hiding. And they had fun. Once found, they’d, or “joy jumps.” And they didn’t need to be conditioned to play with edible treats; tickles were enough of a reward.
