Stimulus properties of conditioned taste aversion odor

Abstract

Past research has shown that when rats run in a runway in anticipation of reward, if they encounter a signal of illness (i.e., a taste) they will release an odor that readily slows the approach of conspecifics. This odor has been labeled a conditioned taste aversion odor (A odor). In three experiments, the stimulus properties of A odor were examined. In Experiments 1 and 2, the unconditioned effects of A odor were negligible. Furthermore, when A odor was conditioned in compound with a taste, conditioning to each element was slightly attenuated, though not significantly. Considering the differing responses to A odor by the donors in the runway and subjects in an enclosed chamber, Experiment 3 determined that A odor received aversive conditioning during taste aversion conditioning. In addition, as a means of providing a compound conditioning control group, taste overshadowed almond odor and some of the factors that may influence compound conditioning results are discussed.