Step 1A - Before you begin: Do not move beyond this point until you have checked off each

part.
* Make a list of ways that you learn
Visual: By using picture, image, videos, what you see.
Physical: Learn by doing things practically.
Listening: Need sound, music, rhythm in order to learn. Learn by listening to spoken
information from video, audio etc.

* Brainstorm ways that animals may learn or different ways some animals may learn

Learn from experience- Learn through trials and mistakes.

Learn from environment- social and friend
Learn from being hunted- escaping predators

* Do some informal learning. Read, watch videos, ask questions, talk to other students
* Have a discussion with the teacher.

http://www.edudemic.com/styles-of-learning/

Visual: By using picture, image, videos, what you see.

Physical: Learn by doing things practically.
Solitary: Self-studying, thinking based on the information we knew previously.
Social: Help each other in a group
Logical: use reasoning and concept to explain something
Listening: Need sound, music, rhythm, sound effects in order to learn. Learn by listening to
spoken information from video, audio etc.

http://www.ck12.org/biology/Learned-Behavior-of-Animals/lesson/Learned-Behavior-in-Animals-Advanced-BIO-A
DV/

Learning: Learning is a process that occurs as a result of experience. Unlike innate behaviors, Learned behaviors
are more vulnerable to change, meaning they may change depending on the environmental conditions.
Types of learning:
Habituation: habituation is a type of learning in which the animal decreases the frequency of
that particular behaviors as a response to non-beneficial and wasteful of energy-actions.
Sensitization: Sensitization is the opposite to habituation. It is when animals learn to react more
strongly to certain changes in the environment, In other words, they become more sensitive to
changes in the environment.
Classical conditioning: This type of learning adapts the animal for it to be able to associate one
stimulus to another, meaning they can respond the same way to more than one stimuli. This
can happen when animals are repeatedly being exposed to both stimuli simultaneously. As a
result, they learn to associate more than one stimuli as one.
Observational learning: looking at the behavior of another individual and either copying the
behavior or avoiding it
Play: help develop the skills needed during adulthood, develop muscles and improve physical
fitness
Insight Learning: doesnt involve trial since they learn from past experience and solution to
solve the problem
operant conditioning: animal will learn to do something that is benefit or stop to do something
that is harmful to them
Step 1B: What do I want to learn about learning? (Hamster)
Eating Habit
Hamsters are omnivorous; they eat both vegetable and meat
Hamster's diet should be at least 16 % protein and 5% fat
Hamsters like to eat seeds, grain and grasses
Wild hamsters eat insect, frogs, lizards, and other small animals
Hamsters have pouch to store food to eat later, pet hamster usually keep food in the cage bedding

Should Shouldnt

good foods are; chicory, cauliflower, broccoli, pear, Too much fruit and vegetable can cause diarrhea
peach and banana

buy food that looks natural as highly coloured foods acid food
are normally full of additives

filtered water to drink sharp or sticky food can stuck inside pouches

provide fresh food always Kidney Beans (raw)

Onion
Potato (raw)
Potato topsa
Rhubarb (raw)
Rhubarb leaves
Tomato leaves
chocolate or sweets

2 Types of Hamster:
Syrian hamster : solitary
Dwarf hamsters : social

http://www.livescience.com/27169-hamsters.html
http://thehamsterhouse.com/hamster-food/what-do-hamsters-eat/
http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_fruit_vegetables.asp (List of food)

Learning Habit :

* What is my research question about learning?

o Can male rats learn more quickly to run a maze than female rats?
o Can rats learn more quickly to run a maze than hamster?

Which hamsters will be able to run through a maze faster, with one hamster fed a raw vegetables and
the other a normal hamster diet?
* What are some other things I need to learn before I can write a safe and effective experimental design?
o Document in learning form. The learning form should be based on research only.
 Experimental Group Control Group

high-omega3 Normal Hamster Diet

Wholemeal wheat flour Oxbow food

soybean meal Eggs - Hard-boiled
barley Milk
oats
linseed
soya oil
dicalcium phosphate
limestone flour
salt

http://supremepetfoods.com/products/science-se https://www.oxbowvetconnect.com/products/
ective-hamster/ type/detail?object=1591

List the animals for your experiment and who will be adopting the animals. If no one in the group can
adopt, please note it so I can look for another adoptive parent.
Any materials you would like the school to pay for.

List of Material Needed

2 Males Hamster (1 of the Hamster will be adopt by one of our group member[Phufah])
Oxbow food brand
Hamsters bedding = Wood Filings
Omega3 foods :
Hard-boiled egg, Milk
Drinking water

Step 1C: Research Proposal/ Create an experimental design

* Proposal must include hypothesis, introduction with background information (cited), material and methods,
bibliography

Hypothesis: If the hamster are fed with normal hamster diet, then it will run a maze faster than the one that are
fed with high in omega-3 foods.

Introduction with background information:

Materials: Foam, feature board, toothpick, tape, glue

Methods:

Bibliography:

* Proposal includes maze design and describes building material

o Building material are non-toxic and safe for animals. Maze is constructed with stable material and doesnt have
any dangerous projections

o Maze design should be complex and include multiple routes, dead ends, and be difficult to solve
* Proposal must have considered animal welfare and created a plan to decrease animal stress/ discomfort
o Plans will be denied if animal welfare is not considered

Writing a Proposal
Get thinking!
* Why is the topic important?
Ans) To emphasize what we are focusing on doing with the project
* What problems will it help solve?
Ans) It will give us a better understanding of the diet that would suit best to the hamster that
is to be under the maze running purposed experiment.
* How does it build upon [and hopefully go beyond] research already conducted on the
topic?
Ans) Not only memory we are testing in the experiment of our, but also the ability to respond
to an unusual stimulus from the maze in which differ from any other normal maze. Its that
the hamster has to use its memory in order not to go to the same first stimulus but to
another.
* What exactly should I plan to do, and can I get it done in the time available?
Ans)

Introduction
1. What is the central research question?
Ans) Which hamsters will be able to run through a maze faster, with one hamster fed ahigh
omega3 food and the other a normal hamster diet?
2. What is the topic of study related to that question?
Ans) The topic of study related to the question is animal behavior, especially focusing on the
learning behavior of a hamster. When it comes to learning, the complexity of the brain will
worked by experience, and this will make it possible for us to link it with a stimulus, which is
exactly how associative learning work. On top of that, one big factor that impact how the
hamsters brain works and what response it will give off is their diet. After weve fed one with
foods that are high in omega-3 and the other has normal diet with no restriction, we can test
their cognition through a technique of operant conditioning, using a maze as a tool to do so.
The hamster will learned through a series of trial and error, by going in and out of each maze
pathway, where at the end of each pathway will contain a portion of food for them. However
they cannot go back to the same pathway because they wont be any food left there, which
this then act as a type of punishment that they will soon understand, avoid running back to
the same location again. So to simply say, this technique underlines the concept of reward &
punishment. Moreover, another concept that this experiment reflects is unconditioned
stimulus. In this case, our food that weve provided for the hamster at each end of the maze
act as an unconditioned stimulus, as the hamster realised there is food, they will respond
without being taught initially. However, the maze is a neutral stimulus that the hamster might
take awhile to get use to it, as so the maze is a conditioned stimulus. When we combined the
food, unconditioned stimulus, with the eight-pathways maze, conditioned stimulus, it will urge
a response of a running hamster.
3. Why this is important research, what is its significance, and why should someone reading
the proposal care about the outcomes of the proposed study?
This research is important because the result of the experiment will helps us determine how
omega-3 impacted their brain, reflecting their cognition through the way they behave and
respond. On top of that, the result from the experiment can be branched off into many other
area of studying about learning discovery, such as it can be applied to other species,
including human.

1-3 paragraph
This project will be focusing on the ability to run the maze by two hamsters which will
be fed differently. The research question is Which hamsters will be able to run through a
maze faster, with one hamster fed foods high in omega-3 and the other a normal hamster
diet?
The topic of study related to the question is animal behavior, especially focusing on
the learning behavior of a hamster. When it comes to learning, the complexity of the brain
will worked by experience, and this will make it possible to link it with a stimulus, which is
exactly how associative learning work. On top of that, one big factor that impact how the
hamsters brain works and what response it will give off is their diet. After one of the hamster
is fed with foods that are high in omega-3 and the other has normal diet with no restriction,
testing on their cognition can be done through a technique of operant conditioning, using a
maze as a tool to do so. The hamster will learned through a series of trial and error, by going
in and out of each maze pathway, where at the end of each pathway will contain a portion of
food for them. However they cannot go back to the same pathway because they wont be
any food left there, which this then act as a type of punishment that they will soon
understand, avoid running back to the same location again. So to simply say, this technique
underlines the concept of reward & punishment. Moreover, another concept that this
experiment reflects is unconditioned stimulus. In this case, the food that will be provided for
the hamster at each end of the maze act as an unconditioned stimulus, as the hamster
realised there is food, they will respond without being taught initially. However, the maze is a
neutral stimulus that the hamster might take awhile to get use to it, as so the maze is a
conditioned stimulus. When the food, an unconditioned stimulus, combined with the
eight-pathways maze, a conditioned stimulus, it will urge a response of a running hamster.
This research is important because the result of the experiment will helps us determine how
omega-3 impacted their brain, reflecting their cognition through the way they behave and
respond. On top of that, the result from the experiment can be branched off into many other
area of studying about learning discovery, such as it can be applied to other species,
including human.

Background Information
This is where you explain the context of your proposal and describe in detail why it's important. Approach writing
this section with the thought that you cant assume your readers will know as much about the research question
as you do.
* State the research problem and give a more detailed explanation about the purpose of the
study than what you stated in the introduction.
* Indicate why it is worth doing. Answer the "So What? question [i.e., why should anyone
care].
* Describe the major issues or problems to be addressed by your research. Be sure to note
how your proposed study builds on previous assumptions about the research problem.
* Explain how you plan to go about conducting your research. Clearly identify the key
sources you intend to use and explain how they will contribute to your analysis of the topic.
* Set the boundaries of your proposed research in order to provide a clear focus. Where
appropriate, state not only what you will study, but what is excluded from the study.
* If necessary, provide definitions of key concepts or terms.

Hamster likes to eat seed, grains, nut, fruits and vegetable. Nature of the haster loves to eat.
However, the primary balanced diet for hamster include Proteins used for growth and tissue
repair, Carbohydrates and Fats provides energy and warmth, Vitamins to keep hamster in a good
health, Minerals, Water

Hamster need fresh and clean food on a daily basis.

The major issue that needs to be addressed is whether or not omega-3 can boost the brain
function and perform better cognition test.

Omega 3 are part of cell membrane. It is help to improve the brane function and behavior
such as memory, cognition, and aggressive behavior.
Omega-3 helps reduce the damage caused by stress to the brain. Usually, our diet is rich in
omega-6 and deficient in omega-3. This causes cognitive problems and stress since
omega-6 increases inflammation due to stress and cortisol prevents formation of DHA a
long-chain omega-3 fat.
The food that high in Omega 3 include egg, milk, oats.

The rat that consume an enriched (more) omega 3 contained food gain more weight during
the time of restraint stress, on the other hand, rats that have a diet of normal or lacked
omega 3 tend to lose weight over the same period of time facing the same condition. Notice
that all the rat had the same body weight at the start of the experiment.

The liquid analyzes showed the amount of DHA concentration is proportional to the omega 3
consumption of the die and as the chronic restraint stress procedure reduced the
incorporation of DHA into brain membrane phospholipids, it means that the more omega 3
consumed, the better its to deal with the stress in order to maintain a suitable DHA
concentration.
Literature Reviews
 Outline of Research Proposal
Introduction:
What: The experiment is about testing the learning ability of hamsters when fed different
types of food.
Why: The purpose is to determine the kinds of food that may suit hamsters best, allowing
them to increase their learning ability and thus their welfare in the environment.
How: Take two male hamsters with identical characteristics. Feed one hamsters with normal
hamsters food and the other with high in omega 3 food. Determine at the experimental
phase whether which one will be able to run through a maze faster.
Literature Review I:

1.
Based on Acta Physiologica Hungarica, the experiment The effect of omega-3 on
cognition in hypothyroid adult male rats stated that brain function involved the help
from omega 3 and thyroid hormones. In this research, the experiment focused on
the effect of omega 3 on cognition in hypothyroid adult male rats. Omega 3 has
played an important role of brains function and also be a component of neuron's
membrane.
Materials and methods:
Animal:
Adult male albino was used for the experiment.
Experiment: 30 rats were divided into three groups: 1) Control group will receive a
water at first and stop giving them at last ,2) Hypothyroid group will receive a
carbimazole which is a antithyroid drug for six weeks, 3) Omega3 treated group will
receive both carbimazole and omega 3 from week 2-6. All three groups will get a
food and a supplement equally.
Control Variable : The weight of the rat is between 180-220g, receive a natural
dark-light cycle 12-12, room temperature is +/- 25c, standard rat pellet and water as
available
Blood examination: To determine the level of serum T3 and TS
Behavioral testing: Eight arm-radial maze
Passive avoidance test: Dark and Light compartment; Dark compartment would
cause an electric shock on the rat.
Novel object recognition: Rats allowed to explore the stainless steel open box.
biochemical examinations in the hippocampus: Determination of -aminobutyric
acid (GABA) and serotonin contents in the hippocampus
Histopathology and immunohistochemistry
Statistical analysis
http://akademiai.com/doi/pdf/10.1556/APhysiol.101.2014.3.11

 2.
From the experiment, Influence of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status on the Way Rats
Adapt to Chronic Restraint Stress, it said that omega 3 is important for the
neuron function and cognition and also help to prevent from stress or moody.
Experiment: Create a repeated restraint stress to the 3 groups of adult rats,
first with omega 3 deficient, second with omega 3 enriched (control). The body
weight, plasma corticosterone, and hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors will
then be measured to determine the connection between these data with
behaviour caused by depression or stress.
Control Variable: Room temperature is +/- 22c, life cycle is 12-12 where the
light is 7am-7pm, water is given as desire
Materials and Method
Animals and diets
Female wistar rats were separate into 3 groups. The control group will
receive a mixture of high-oleic sunflower and rapeseed oils (rich in
ALA). The omega-3 FA deficient diet group will received only
sunflower oil. The omega-3 LC-FA enriched diet Omega 3 deficient
will receive sunflower and tuna oils. All three groups will get ad lib
water. These females will mate within two weeks after theyre fed with
this routine.
Then the male offspring born from those female will be distributed
randomly into 3 groups. Each group will be assigned to eat one of the
three type of foods (control, omega-3 deficient, and omega-3 enriched)
Then they will be send to lived in the same cage as the mother who has
the same diet. In the first 3 months, the rat will get 25 g of food each,
then theyll get 20 g of food a day until their age is 6 months. The
weight will be measured every two weeks and will be weight every
week during the stress procedure.
Repeated restraint stress procedure
3 Months after born, the rat will be placed in the wire mesh 6 hours a
day for the 21 days to measure their stress, then they were grouping
the stress and unstress rat into 6 categories ( stressed control group,
unstressed control group, stressed omega-3 deficient, unstressed omega-3
deficient, stressed omega-3 enriched, unstressed omega-3 enriched)

Determination of plasma corticosterone

The blood were taken from hamster since day 1(born) and 7,14,21 of the
stress procedure
.
Video tracking system
 Placed the camera on top of the maze and link to the monitor to calculate the
behavior score.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408452/

Literature Review II:

1.
Blood Determination: T3 was reduced in hypothyroid and omega-3 treated groups as
compared to control group. Serum TSH was significantly increased in hypothyroid
and omega-3 treated groups as compared to the control group. Omega-3 treated
rats showed a significant increase in T3 level and a significant decrease in TSH level
as compared to the hypothyroid group.
Behavioral testing: Experiment shows a decline in working memory errors in all three
groups of rats. However, The least number of errors were noticed in the control
group whereas the most was observed in the hypothyroid group.
Passive avoidance testing: The group with hypothyroid had the fastest reaction time
when entered into the dark compartment, after being electrocuted. However, the
group with the slowest reaction time was the control group.
Biochemical examinations: The level of GABA and serotonin increased in the
hypothyroid group as compared to the control group. Conversely, the level of
serotonin and GABA decreased in the omega3 group as compared to the control
group.
2.
Body weight: All rat has a weight 6.5 +/-2 at birth. After 6 months of particular
dietary, the omega-3 enriched group gain 10% more weight than the other 2 groups.
Even though, the rats in all group has lost the weight during stress period, the
omega-3 enriched group gain weight faster than the other 2 groups.

The CON rats spent less than 10% of their time in the open arms under conditions.
Therefore, this shows no increase in anxiety with this parameter. Neither diet nor
stress significantly modified the percentage of entries into open arms (data not
shown), suggesting that stress has a specific effect on locomotor activity, in
agreement with the results obtained in the OF test. Thus, the high omega-3, low
omega-3 and control group shows the same level of performance.

Knowledge Gap: From studying the two experiments, we saw that the both experiments
feed different food but have the same control group rats. The experiment is focused on the
use of omega-3 as an experimental group but the first one used hypothyroid as another
experimental group. Goals of both experiments were to determine the effects of different
nutrient from different foods effects on the rat's body functioning. The result of the first
experiment shows that each group perform better than the others in different situations
given . However, on the second experiment it shows that the control group spent the lease
time to get out of an open arm maze. The weight of the rat of this group also reduce which
mean they are more stressed. After discussion with the group member, we come up with a
conclusion that we will use the normal diet for a control group and high omega-3 food as a
experimental group. Then we will tested the effect of diet through the ability to memorize
the arms of the maze.

Research Question :
Which hamsters will be able to run through a maze faster, with one hamster fed a raw
vegetables and the other a normal hamster diet?
Overview of Experiment Details:
In this project, the experiment will be based on two hamsters, in which one of them will be
fed with a high omega 3 food, but the other one with pellets. At that time the participants
will then make a maze for the hamster out of balsa wood. The maze is required to be taller
than the hamster; otherwise, when participants let hamster run through the maze it may
cheat by climb up the wall (balsa wood). At the finish line participants will put some of the
hamster foods in the food dishes in order to attach the hamster . First, one of the hamster
will be chosen randomly. So if participants choose the first one that fed by high omega 3 to
run the maze first. Participants will time the time it takes to complete the maze and record it
down on the data table. Then, the same method will be repeated for the hamster that is fed
by pellets and write the result down. Participants will repeat the experiment for about 3-5
times before finding the average for each of the hamsters to see which hamster can run
through the maze faster.

1List of Materials:
1. 2 Male Hamsters
2. Control groups food : Oxbow food, hard boiled egg, milk
3. Experimental groups food : egg, milk, oats
4. 2 of each (Hamster cage, bedding, food dishes, water bottle, toys)
5. Maze : balsa wood, scissor, tape, glue, stop watch, ruler meter, saw

Methodology:
 1. Feed the 2 hamsters with their assigned food as much as they desire for 3days. The
control hamster will be fed with the hamster pettel. And the experiment hamster will
be fed with food that is high in Omega 3. The food will be placed at each end of the 8
arms. They will have to run to the end of the arm in order to eat the food. However,
each end will be placed more than one piece of food.
2. For the rest of the experiment, well give only 85% of its original consumption (for
both hamsters)
3. On day 4, put 1 piece of food on each end of the 8 arms. Place hamster in the center.
And use a stopwatch to timing for 10 minutes. (Repeat this step with another
hamster)
4. On day 5, do the same method as day 4 but start recording the time and the number
of arms that the hamster go into. Plus, record the error that caused by hamster going
into the arm that has already been to. Repeat this for day (6-8)

1Maze Design and Justification:

Eight arm maze with slight bend at the end of each arm: The reason for choosing this
maze design is to test the hamsters memorizing ability of whether or not they can
remember the path they went and not going in the same path again. Not only is this
design effective in testing hamsters memory in a different way but it is also unique
in terms of their shape.
This maze has center platform with eight arms protruded radially outward with a
slight bending at the end of each arms. The purpose of having multi arms is to test
 whether or not hamsters recognize the path the have been to and not going there
twice or more. The more intelligent hamster would potentially be better at
recognizing the paths and thus less likely to be tricked. A slight bending of the end of
each arms is for hiding the food from hamsters. So hamsters will not decide on
taking a certain path based on what they see but rather rely on their memory to
decide which path they took to not repeat going there.

Methodology Literature Review :

Based on Research Animal Resources stated that mice could be moved from one
place to another with the bare hand, it has to be gently and slow because mice are
quilted animal. People might get bitten or make them afraid easily. A rat can be held
by thumb and finger. Its position can either hang quietly or turn around to sit on the
palm. Therefore, to carry hamster from the cage to the maze, the hamster must feel
calm and not scared.
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/handling.html
From the research, before hamster is pick up or touch, it should be familiar and
aware of the presence of another thing first. By doing this, the hamster should be
known that when their body contact with the finger, it means no harm. And that is
when people were going to carry them. With the frighten condition, the hamster can
be stressful. To adapt this to the experiment, the hamster should learn to inure with
the finger and hand. Moreover, from this research, it holds that hamster will be
familiar with one another, especially the same sex. However, the hamster will be
very aggressive toward strange animals. To conclude, hamster shouldnt be in the
same area or same cage with the difference sex, species.
http://ursa.research.gsu.edu/files/2013/04/Hamster_workshop_handout.pdf

According to the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes ,

rats initially tested on eight armed maze performed efficiently in remembering the
samples placed at different arms, attempting to not visit the arms they have been to.
Procedure:The first stage is called exploration The rats were given an unlimited
food for the whole nine days. (15mins each day). No food represented in apparatus
in these day.
The second stage is the Free Choice where rats were given a specific amount of
food in order to bring the weight down to 85% of ad lib food (* ad lib food mean the
food as much as desire) This type of daily were given to rats for the whole
experiment. For the day 10-19. Purina Lab Cow (type of food) were placed at the end
of each arm. Then each rat was placed at the center of the maze and was given
10mins or 16 choiced.
 The next 5 days, the food was placed on one of the eight arms of the maze. If the rat
was influenced by the presence of food on that particular arm, then the rat should
return to the arm after fewer choices than that when food is absent.
For the last 3 days, the odor of either lotion or old spices in the center and all the
arms. (The author hypothesized that If the sense of food are still influence the rats to
run through the arm, then it will be less accuracy than the free choice.
Results: For the first few days, the rats only run around center. Over the next few
days, the rat started slowly venturing around the arms of the maze;some are
hesitant and pause at the edge of the platform. However, once stepped on one of
the arms, they went to the end before returning. It was noticed that wider arms are
preferred than the smaller arms are.
For the free choice result, there has been an increasing in number of consuming. For
the first few trial, the rats werent eat the platelet eventhough they can smell and
see it. After a few days, all the pettel were eaten. As before, the rats will stop at the
edge of the arm before chosen it, and once they've chose theyll run till the end.
For Rebait, replacing food on one of the arms had no obvious effect on the accuracy
of choice behavior. The rats would at least visit eight arms of the maze before
choosing the arms with the food at the end of it anyway.
For added odor, at the beginning the rats were reach to the scene of lotion and
shome of them were walk around the center while some weren't eat the pellet at
the end. In the second day of odor added, all the rats were run to the end of arm and
eat all of the pallet. In conclusion, odor has a little effect in accuracy of the choice
behavior.
For all procedures, in general, rats tended to not choose the same arms chosen,
although there were very few cases in which two to three adjacent arms were
chosen in order. The rats often responded in a clockwise or counter clockwise and 90
degree to the arms just chosen.
Inspiration: From reading the experiment about the rats ability to run a maze in
different conditions,

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2ac2/5df2b999fddadf0e78be761a9756b427134a.pdf

Timeline:
Write a proposal- To be completed by 1st May
Maze designing- To be completed by 8 May
Start adopting hamsters- to be completed 10 May
Experiment with hamsters- To be completed by middle of May
Write a reflection- To be completed by the end of May
Ethical/ Humane Considerations :
In order to begin an experiment, it is very essential that the participant consider safety as
the number one priority, this is due to the fact that it is such a sensitive subject. In fact, for
this particular experiment the participant have to be extra careful because they will be
working with animals. After many brainstorming and discussions, a decision has been made
that the maze body will be made out of Balsa Wood because it is sturdy, lightweight and
most importantly it has a soft touch to it. This soft texture will ensures that the wood
doesnt have any sharp edges or small bits of splinters exposed. In fact, to better guarantee
this point, the wood should be passed through a filing process using sandpaper to get rid of
any wood splinters that may have sticking out, which may harm the hamsters sensitive skin.
Moreover, for the food, it is sure to be clean with no toxic or dangerous chemicals in
contact. Every raw vegetables used in the experiment will be fully washed with care before
providing it to the hamster. As for any other materials, participants must make sure it is safe
by cleaning it before use. While the materials are under consideration, participants should
ensure that the hamster itself are not stress during training. To do so, participants should go
back and forth to their cage and play with them so they are not bored and stressed out.
Also, playing with them routinely will allows these hamster to be familiar with human
behavior so they are not panicking on the actual experiment day. On the base of playing
with them, some precautions must always be listed. To minimize the hamsters stress as
much as possible, before picking them up, participants should nudge it gently with a finger
and gradually pick them up, handling them carefully in both hands. This part must not be
overlooked because if the hamster are distressed or frightened anyhow, not only it will be
difficult to perform the experiment but it can also lead the participant to a painful harm.
Another point that every participants should keep in mind is to perform the experiment
quietly so it wont disturb the hamster, mentally. As well as during the experiment day, any
toys or form of entertainment must be separated due to the fact that the hamsters can get
overly excited and jump around causing more stresses. Lastly, of course, for participants
own safety, it is important that the participants always keep clean, both before and after,
the experiment by washing our hands thoroughly. This will ensure that no toxic chemicals
are intact from the experimenter and pass on to the animals. All performance must be
under adult's supervision so any immediate problems occurred can easily be handle. If for
some reason any of the group member got bite by the hamster during the experiment, they
must keep calm, so it doesnt cause any injuries or anxiety to the animals, while calling for a
supervisor as soon as possible.
http://ursa.research.gsu.edu/files/2013/04/Hamster_workshop_handout.pdf

Data Collections and Limitations :

Use the learning record form whenever anything is making a progress with the date stated
to keep track of your learning overtime.

The smell from the food can guide the hamster the way.
(Classic maze): Record the number of trial(s) each hamster takes in order to complete the
maze perfectly ( X consecutive times, each time no more than X times of wrongly-selected
route decision). The amount of time taken by each of the hamster to complete each trial can
also be measured in order to analyze whether which one has a faster thinking process and
will determine the best diet for the hamster.

Alternatives(Eight armed maze):

Record the number of times each hamster visits each arm of the eight armed maze. A visit to
the same arm twice or more is counted as an error. Notice the amount of times of error
done by each hamster and compare. Whichever hamsters made more mistakes will be
considered as less intelligent. The intelligence level of each hamster will determine which
independent variable (food) of the experiment is the most effective for them as each
hamster maintains different diet; the one eating raw veg or the other with normal diet. If
the number of errors are the same for either hamsters, then measure the amount of time
taken for each hamsters to complete all the arms.

Conclusion:
This experiment will help us to understand the relationship between different types of
Hamsters food-Normal hamsters diet and high omega 3 food- and the Hamsters learning
ability. From observing which hamster would be able to walk through each arm of the eight
arm maze without going through the same arm twice in the Data collection process, we
should be able to identify the ideal food for hamsters to learn better and so their welfare in
the environment.

Sources:
https://www.thespruce.com/supplies-needed-for-a-pet-hamster-1238928 List of Materials