When scientific paradigms lead to tunnel vision: lessons from the study of fear

Foraging task. The foraging apparatus had two compartments divided by a door: a dimly lit nest and a much brighter foraging arena. After training rats to retrieve sweetened food pellets in the absence of Robogator, alternating trial blocks were conducted with or without the Robogator. Each trial started by opening the door. a Example of failed trial. b Time from door opening to food retrieval increases when the robot is present. c Proportion of successful trials is lower when the robot is present. Red, robot present; blue robot absent. d Activity of representative Type-1 cell during the foraging task. Only successful trials are shown. Top rasters (dots indicate spikes and each line is a trial). Bottom average of all available trials？±？SEM. e Normalized FR of Type-1 (blue) and Type-2 (red) cells during waiting periods preceding initiation of foraging (F) or retreat into the nest (A). f Normalized FR of Type-1 and Type-2 cells during waiting periods in the presence (R) vs. absence (NR) of the Robogator. g FR of Type-1 cell in three conditions: during shuttle task (black), or during foraging task with Robot present (red) or absent (blue). Vertical dashed line indicates initiation of foraging. S significant, NS non-significant. Source: Ref. 2