In the present study,we examined helping behavior in rats using another distress situation. We used a pool of water to
create distress.Rats avoid bathing in water in the water maze task and escaping from water is thought to be the primary
motivator (Morris 1981). There were three experiments in the present study. In Experiments 1 and 2, we examined
helping behavior in rats. We also examined the influence of prior experience on helping behavior. We predicted that rats
with prior experience of an aversive situation would learn to help a cagemate faster than those that had not been previously exposed. In Experiment 3, we examined the value of helping through a choice testin which one choice resulted in
helping and the other resulted in a food reward.