Taste and odor in conditioned flavor preference learning

Abstract

Almond and peppermint extracts were combined with salt and citric acid as cues in conditioned flavor preference conditioning. In Experiment 1, extracts overshadowed tastes, although tastes and extracts conditioned equally well when presented in isolation. In Experiments 2 and 3, tastes and extracts were conditioned in isolation prior to conditioning of a taste/extract compound. The conditioning history of the tastes and extracts did not affect the overshadowing of taste by extract. The results of Experiment 4 showed that rats could learn to discriminate between a taste and extract presented in isolation vs. the taste/extract compound. Thus, extracts do not interfere with sensing the tastes. We suggest that a taste/extract compound produces a configural stimulus that is more characteristic of the extract than the taste.