摘要
A 2 X 2 between-subjects design was used to test for the tendency of domestic ferrets to take novel shortcuts. The cross maze with shortcuts adapted by Poucet (1985) was used to train ferrets to search for a goal (an empty food bowl) while having the possibility of seeing the shortcuts or not during training (i.e., a screen, which was either transparent or opaque, blocked off the shortcut). In the test sessions in which the animals were given access to the shortcuts, the goal was visible for half of the subjects in each training condition and not visible for the other half. Ferrets were more likely to take the shortcut if they had seen it during training, regardless of whether they could see the goal or not during the test: Visual familiarity with the shortcut is sufficient to account for shortcut taking. When the goal was not visible and the shortcut had not been seen prior to the test, performance was no different from chance: There was no evidence for the ability to infer a shortcut. Pronounced individual differences were obtained when the shortcut was visually unfamiliar yet the goal was visible.
摘要译文
采用2 X 2之间的对象设计来测试家用雪貂采取新捷径的趋势。由Poucet（1985）改编的带有快捷方式的十字迷宫被用来训练雪貂寻找目标（一个空的食物碗），同时在训练过程中有可能看不到快捷方式（例如，透明或透明的屏幕）。不透明，阻止了快捷方式）。在允许动物访问快捷方式的测试阶段中，目标在每种训练条件下对于一半的受试者可见，而对另一半则不可见。如果雪貂在训练中看过捷径，无论他们在测试中是否能看到目标，他们都更可能采用捷径：对捷径的视觉熟悉足以说明捷径的使用。当目标不可见并且在测试之前没有看到快捷方式时，性能与偶然性没有什么不同：没有证据表明可以推断出快捷方式。当快捷方式在视觉上不熟悉但目标可见时，可获得明显的个体差异。
Perreault; M. ;Plowright; C. M. S.. Shortcut taking by ferrets (Mustela putorius furo)[J]. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2004,17(4)