Figure 4. Exploration in an open field predicts general learning performance during intial, but not late, exposure to the novel field.

Animals were placed in a novel open field where exploration of the unwalled areas was observed across three consecutive 4 min blocks. Plotted is the ratio of crossings in the unwalled relative to walled areas of the field. A: Average learning rank plotted as a function of open field exploration (percent of crossings made into open quadrants) in the 4 min of exposure to the field. B: Average learning rank plotted as a function of open field exploration (percent of crossings made into open quadrants) in the first, second, and third 4 min blocks of time. While exploration was correlated with general learning performance during the first 4 min block, this correlation dissipated over the subsequent 4 min blocks.