Rats Jump, Climb, Lift In Unique Olympic Games
Annual Event Rewards Rats For Tasks
POSTED: Friday, December 6, 2002
UPDATED: 1:08 pm EST December 6,
2002
Several rats in Nebraska were winners of Olympic medals in an unique competition that features the animals lifting weights and even long-distance jumping against each other.
The 28th annual Rat Olympics was held at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.Psychology students teach rats how to walk tight ropes, life weights and climb ropes, among other things.The events are part of a class experiment where the students teach the rats positive reinforcement methods.The animals are rewarded for their tasks."First we have to train them to learn what they are going to be eating for food," student Erick Hjermstad said. "A lot of it is positive reinforcement, giving them a lot of food, training them when to eat and that really gets them going,"Winners from the competition received gold, silver and bronze medals.
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