The results of the latest research professionals of the Institute of Minnesota (University of Minnesota) showed that rats are capable of experiencing remorse about mistakenly adopted decisions. Previously it was thought that a similar cognitive behavior is only human.
The study was headed by doctor of neurology David Redish (David Redish). For a basis was taken definition, derived economists and professionals in psychology: "repentance is the recognition that you made a mistake, because in doing differently, it would be possible to achieve the best result".
"The most difficult task of this study was to distinguish repentance from frustration (impressions when not justified hopes), explains Redish. From what directly emotion has undergone a rat, and depended her subsequent conduct".
During experiments Radich and his graduate student Adam Steiner (Adam Steiner) forced rats to expect certain products.
"It was like the bacon, - said the Manager of the research. "If all the Chinese restaurant is very long, you will give up and go to an Indian restaurant across the street".
During the study, rats were given "restaurant row" - several varieties of food, but a limited time next to each source of food. During a 60-minute running rats had to decide whether to wait long for the next products or you can move to a more accessible power source.
As it turns out, rats were willing to wait longer certain tastes (this indicates that in rodents have their own preferences). Sometimes animals were waiting for a long time and got in front of products, which they did not want.
"People part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is activated during a time of repentance, - speaks Redish. "We found that when rats acknowledge his own mistakes in their prefrontal cortex and still exists a missed opportunity. Rodents understand that you had to do to get what you want. They regret not about what you do not receive, they regret that produced something wrongly towards their own goals."
Taking into account the opinion of the authors of the study, in the future these results may help to understand how directly regret influences decisions taken by the man, on a neurological level.
Scientific article was published in Nature Neuroscience.
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