The hole-board test (HBT) is an experimental method used in scientific research to measure anxiety, stress, neophilia and emotionality in animals.
[4] The HBT was designed in the 1970s to mitigate the flaws of the open field test (OFT), another animal model that measures anxiety and exploratory behavior.
To examine anxiety a single animal is placed in the apparatus for five minutes where it is observed and then removed.
[1] To observe neophilia and learning behavior, the test is typically done multiple times.
[5] Since the root cause of anxiety is idiopathic, animal models are difficult to create and therefore flawed.
The HBT studies show inconsistent results when administering known anti-anxiety medication such as benzodiazepines.