https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.htm search for "All experiments in psychology are not of this type"

A paper found that in order to prevent rats cheating the floor needed to have sand to prevent them picking up on vibrations. The result should've been that experiments began incorporating this measure in their own setups, but instead the paper went ignored

The paper: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1939-01955-001

Amusingly this VR direction could also be a useful method to limit the rat's perceptions to the experiment. But first it'd need to have the rat trained to explore a 3d environment & be fed by collecting food in the 3d environment