<p>For more information on the experiment, there is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-hope-rat-experiment-dr-curt-richter-santosh-swamy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Swamy (2020)</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought impossible.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and the source (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-195705000-00004" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Richter, 1957</a>) can be <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.536.1405&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">downloaded in PDF</a></p>
<p>I had to re-read the Richter paper a couple of times to digest it, and from my understanding, the differences in swimming time was in the same (first) experiment. The tweak to the experiment was where, instead of using domesticated rats, they used hybrid rats (&quot;crosses between domesticated and wild rats&quot;).</p>
<h2>References</h2>
<p>Richter, C. P. (1957). On the phenomenon of sudden death in animals and man. <em>Psychosomatic Medicine, 19</em>, 191–198. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-195705000-00004" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-195705000-00004</a></p>
<p>Swamy, S. (2020). The Power of Hope: A Rat Experiment by Dr Curt Richter. <em>LinkedIn</em> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-hope-rat-experiment-dr-curt-richter-santosh-swamy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-hope-rat-experiment-dr-curt-richter-santosh-swamy</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-12T15:29:28.537Z
But the time that the experimenter introduced "hope" by rescuing rats was AFTER the first batch of 12 rats had died, wasn't it? I mean, the liked article says "Richter then tweaked the experiment". Did I misunderstand it and the experimenter introduced "hope" between the third and fourth rat?
Damn Vegetables
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-12T07:16:56.167Z
2022-02-17T14:32:26.233Z
2022-02-17T14:32:26.233Z
Chris Rogers
<p>I can understand the part that the experimenter saved the rat just before it was about to die and then the rat lasted longer for the next drowning. But I do not understand what it means that before such intervention, when he first tried drowning, first 3 rats died in 2 minutes but the remaining 9 rats survived for days.Was it just a random chance that the first 3 rats happened to have little hope and the remaining 9 rats had naturally more hopes?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The first rat, Richter noted, swam around excitedly on the surface for a very short time, then dove to the bottom, where it began to swim around, nosing its way along the glass wall. It died two minutes later. Two more of the 12 domesticated rats died in much the same way. <strong>But, interestingly, the nine remaining rats did not succumb nearly so readily; they swam for days before they eventually gave up and died.</strong> ..... Richter then tweaked the experiment: He took other, similar rats and put them in the jar. Just before they were expected to die, however, he picked them up</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/kidding-ourselves/201405/the-remarkable-power-hope" rel="noreferrer">https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/kidding-ourselves/201405/the-remarkable-power-hope</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-29T12:09:48.097Z
The first experiment used domesticated rats so they were used to having someone take care of them. The ones that survived so long probably had more confidence that someone would come.
Just Weighinin
<experimental-psychology><animal-cognition>
Curt Richter's rat hope experiment: Why did the first nine rats survive for days?
Damn Vegetables
# Curt Richter's rat hope experiment: Why did the first nine rats survive for days?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-02-12)

I can understand the part that the experimenter saved the rat just before it was about to die and then the rat lasted longer for the next drowning. But I do not understand what it means that before such intervention, when he first tried drowning, first 3 rats died in 2 minutes but the remaining 9 rats survived for days.Was it just a random chance that the first 3 rats happened to have little hope and the remaining 9 rats had naturally more hopes?

> The first rat, Richter noted, swam around excitedly on the surface for a very short time, then dove to the bottom, where it began to swim around, nosing its way along the glass wall. It died two minutes later. Two more of the 12 domesticated rats died in much the same way. **But, interestingly, the nine remaining rats did not succumb nearly so readily; they swam for days before they eventually gave up and died.** ..... Richter then tweaked the experiment: He took other, similar rats and put them in the jar. Just before they were expected to die, however, he picked them up

<https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/kidding-ourselves/201405/the-remarkable-power-hope>

**Tags:** experimental-psychology, animal-cognition

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The first experiment used domesticated rats so they were used to having someone take care of them. The ones that survived so long probably had more confidence that someone would come.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-02-12. Score: 3

For more information on the experiment, there is [Swamy (2020)](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-hope-rat-experiment-dr-curt-richter-santosh-swamy):

> The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought impossible.

and the source ([Richter, 1957](https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-195705000-00004)) can be [downloaded in PDF](http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.536.1405&rep=rep1&type=pdf)

I had to re-read the Richter paper a couple of times to digest it, and from my understanding, the differences in swimming time was in the same (first) experiment. The tweak to the experiment was where, instead of using domesticated rats, they used hybrid rats ("crosses between domesticated and wild rats").

## References

Richter, C. P. (1957). On the phenomenon of sudden death in animals and man. *Psychosomatic Medicine, 19*, 191–198. <https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-195705000-00004>

Swamy, S. (2020). The Power of Hope: A Rat Experiment by Dr Curt Richter. *LinkedIn* <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-hope-rat-experiment-dr-curt-richter-santosh-swamy>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: But the time that the experimenter introduced "hope" by rescuing rats was AFTER the first batch of 12 rats had died, wasn't it? I mean, the liked article says "Richter then tweaked the experiment". Did I misunderstand it and the experimenter introduced "hope" between the third and fourth rat?  

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