The contextual modulation of conditioned taste aversions by the physical environment and time of day is similar.
In a pair of experiments, we have compared the ability of changes of place (Exp. 1) and changes of time of day (Exp. 2) to separately modulate learned saline-aversion memory phenomena in rats. Neither a spatial nor a temporal change disrupted latent inhibition using the present behavioral procedure. However, pre-exposure to the taste increased the contextual control of the learned aversion expression. The aversion reappeared in the place or at the time of conditioning after extinction in a different context. The results indicate that environmental and temporal contexts can independently, but similarly modulate taste aversion learning.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D004779:Environment Design; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D013649:Taste