HOW LONG CAN A RAT TREAD WATER? The Answer Might Make Classrooms Safer.

MY last post introduced Stress Inoculation, the highly researched training principle at the heart of Dynamic Simulation Training, which I heartily advocate that our school systems – from elementary thru college – adopt as the primary training methodology to prepare our teachers, security and even students to manage what I still believe will be our most challenging problem – managing violence and other Critical (deadly) Incidents in the classroom.  Today I thought I’d fill you in on some key stress inoculation research at the heart of the Dynamic Simulation Training.

 

THE RESEARCH was designed to learn the affects of (survival) stress on the ability of our military and law enforcement officers to perform under Critical Incident (life or death) conditions.  The Reader’s Digest version goes like this:

 

Research technicians decided to learn the amount of time an unstressed rat – now, be honest.  When’s the last time you read a blog where the words unstressed rat were used together? – could tread water.  Bottom line:  An unstressed rat when thrown into a vat of water (room temperature) could tread water for 60 hours. 

 

Next phase of the experiment? Rats were forced into what, for a rat, is a very vulnerable (survival stress) position, on its back, the stomach exposed.  The rats freaked, of course, but were pinned in that position for what the technicians determined would maximize unremitting stress and then, at the height of that (survival) stress, released the rat(s) into the vat.  The stressed-out rat(s) were able to tread water for only 20 minutes.

 

GET IT?  Natural performance without stress – 60 hours.  Performance under survival stress – 20 minutes.  Quite a difference.

 

NOW, THE COOL PART.  In the final phase of the research, the technicians pinned the same type rat(s) in the exact same position of vulnerability (Survival Stress Position), with this key variation:  The rat was held in this position for long periods of time over several days.  The rat(s), of course, went through the predictable freaked-out stage, keening and kicking and twisting, but after a time they grew inured to being stressed, even comfortable. The rats were, in other words, inoculated with the highest degree of stress possible.  When the time came, the rat was released and placed in the water, and, viola,

 

The Stress Inoculated rat tread water for 60 hours.  Get the Hell out.

 

In the next post, I will get into some great examples of Dynamic Simulation Training using the Stress Inoculation Principle.

 

Hammer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One Response to “HOW LONG CAN A RAT TREAD WATER? The Answer Might Make Classrooms Safer.”

  1. I think that a person that is willing to torture animals might do the very same thing to children. Making classrooms safer? Not likely. Rats are creatures that feel pain and fear, just like humans, just like children.