Abstract
In three experiments, water-deprived rats were preexposed to a novel saccharin solution. The neophobic response to this flavor was then assessed in a choice test involving saccharin and water, administered either immediately or 24 h after preexposure. Subjects displayed a significantly greater preference for saccharin at the 24-h test than at the immediate test (Experiments 2 and 3). This “incubation” effect was eliminated if the subjects were more water-deprived at the delayed test than at the immediate test (Experiment 1), and enhanced if the amount of saccharin consumed during preexposure was increased (Experiment 3). Possible ways in which current theories of habituation might be amended in order to accommodate this finding are discussed.
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This research was financed by grants from the Science and Engineering Research Council. We would like to thank Rob Honey for helpful comments.
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Bonardi, C., Guthrie, D. & Hall, G. The effect of a retention interval on habituation of the neophobic response. Animal Learning & Behavior 19, 11–17 (1991). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197855
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197855