A measure of taste intensity discrimination in the rat through conditioned taste aversions.
The ability of rats to make intensity discriminations was determined by forming a conditioned taste aversion to a moderate concentration of each of four basic taste stimuli, and then measuring the level of acceptance (number of licks during a 15 sec exposure) shown to a range of concentrations of the same chemical. Rats (N = 66) could discriminate between glucose concentrations that were separated by as little as 0.074 M, between NaCl concentrations that differed by 0.029 M, between HCl concentrations that were 9 X 10(-4) M apart, and between quinine HCl concentrations that differed by as little as 2.4 X 10(-6) M.
Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark 19716.
T R
TR
Scott
B K
BK
Giza
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*