Observational learning of a left-right behavioral asymmetry in mice (Mus musculus).

B6D2F? hybrid mice that were allowed to observe a trained female mouse open a pendulum door to the right (or to the left) to enter a food compartment later solved this problem faster than pupils that had been placed behind a visual barrier. Male pupils that had observed a "left-handed" teacher performed sinistrally; males that had observed a "right-handed" model performed dextrally. Female pupils did not exhibit their demonstrator's laterality. Observational learning may provide a means to maintain certain lateralized behaviors. Such social learning may lead to the emergence of local traditions and to the cultural diffusion of behavioral asymmetries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)