Associative activation of stimulus representations restores lost salience: implications for perceptual learning.
In 3 experiments, rats received preexposure to presentations of a compound flavor BX. The effective salience of B was then tested by assessing its ability to interfere with the aversion controlled by another flavor or the tendency to drink a saline solution after the induction of a salt need. It was found that the effective salience of B was maintained when during preexposure, presentations of BX alternated with presentations of X alone. This was true both when BX was presented as a simultaneous compound (Experiment 1) and as a serial compound (X-->B; Experiments 2 and 3); salience was not maintained when the serial compound took the form B-->X (Experiments 2 and 3a). It was argued that the salience of B declines during preexposure but is restored when presentations of X are able to activate the representation of B by way of the associative X-B link.
Hall
Geoffrey
G
Department of Psychology, University of York, UK. g.hall@psych.york.ac.uk
Blair
C A J
CA
Artigas
Antonio A
AA
D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005795:Generalization, Stimulus; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D010469:Perceptual Distortion / Q000502:physiology*; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*