How Rats Learn Routes and Rules

Step into the maze to see how rats learn routes, recognize patterns and adjust when rules change. The episode separates observed behavior from broader claims about intelligence. Inside this episode: - A maze is a question - Learning a route - Landmarks outside the maze - The cognitive map idea - The hippocampus Sources include Behavioral Brain Research review of rodent mazes, Cincinnati water maze methods and findings, and Landmarks and cognitive maps review. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow More Than Instinct: Inside Animal Intelligence for more researched stories about the science of animal intelligence.