Contexts control negative contrast and restrict the expression of flavor preference conditioning

Austen, J. M.; Sanderson, D. J.

doi:10.1037/xan0000091

Contexts control negative contrast and restrict the expression of flavor preference conditioning

Austen, J. M.; Sanderson, D. J.

Authors

Joseph Austen j.m.austen@durham.ac.uk
PGR Student Doctor of Philosophy

Professor David Sanderson david.sanderson@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

Consumption of a high concentration of sucrose can have either a detrimental, negative contrast effect or a facilitatory, preference conditioning effect on subsequent consumption of a low concentration of sucrose, depending on the cues that are present during consumption. The role of context and flavor cues in determining these effects were studied using analysis of the microstructure of licking in mice. Exposure to a high concentration followed by exposure to a low concentration resulted in a transient reduction in mean lick cluster size, which was context dependent (Experiment 1). However, there was no change in the total number of licks or overall consumption. When a flavor that had previously been paired with a high concentration was paired with a low concentration, there was an increase in the total number of licks, and overall consumption, but no change in the mean lick cluster size (Experiment 2). Pairing a high concentration with a flavor in a particular context before pairing the context and flavor compound with a low concentration resulted in abolishing the expression of the flavor preference conditioning effect on the total number of licks and consumption (Experiment 3). These results demonstrate that although context and flavor cues have dissociable effects on licking behavior, their interaction has an antagonistic effect on the behavioral expression of memory

Citation

Austen, J. M., & Sanderson, D. J. (2016). Contexts control negative contrast and restrict the expression of flavor preference conditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 42, 95-105. https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000091

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Oct 17, 2015
Online Publication Date	Jan 1, 2016
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2016
Deposit Date	Oct 19, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Jan 12, 2016
Journal	Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition
Print ISSN	2329-8456
Electronic ISSN	2329-8464
Publisher	American Psychological Association
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	42
Pages	95-105
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000091
Keywords	Learning, Memory, Conditioning, Feeding, Mice.
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1428997

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