The photorefractive properties of lithium niobate crystals depend strongly on the kind of doping admixture. Study of LiNbO₃ crystals with various doping admixtures using photorefractive light scattering allows insight into the processes taking place in the crystals. This paper presents new experimental results of non-selective and selective photorefractive light scattering investigations into rhodium-doped lithium niobate crystals and proposes a model to explain the experimental data.