The effects of flavor preexposure and test interval on conditioned taste aversions in rats

The effect of prior experience with a flavor, which was either the same as the conditioned stimulus (CS) or different, was examined at 1- and 21-day test intervals. A single brief preexposure to a flavor different from the CS produced attenuated taste aversions at the 1-day interval, but not at the 21-day interval. Conversely, experience with the same flavor used as the CS produced attenuated aversions at both 1- and 21-day intervals. This extends the empirical generality of the preexposure—test-interval relationship reported by Kraemer and Roberts (1984) by showing that the effect is not restricted to the specific procedures employed in that study.