title: The easy to hard effect and perceptual learning in flavor aversion conditioning.
abstract: In experiments on the easy to hard effect, pretraining on an easy discrimination results in better performance on a harder version of the discrimination than pretraining on the hard discrimination itself. In addition, some theories posit that unreinforccd preexposure to the easy discrimination should be as effective as differentially reinforced easy pretraining in producing the easy to hard effect. Two experiments on flavor aversion conditioning in rats demonstrated the basic easy to hard effect. However, in neither experiment was easy preexposure more effective than hard preexposure in enhancing learning of the hard discrimination. Indeed, in Experiment 2, rats preexposed to an easy discrimination learned the hard discrimination significantly more slowly than those preexposed to the hard discrimination itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. vicky.scahill@mrc-chu.cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Scahill
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Mackintosh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013652:Taste Threshold
chemical_list: D005421:Flavoring Agents