Comparison of dependent measures used to quantify radiation-induced taste aversion

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1981 · Physiol. Behav.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(81)90059-7· OSTI ID:5429886

Spector, A C; Smith, J C; Hollander, G R ^[1]

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1. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee (USA). Dept. of Psychology

Several commonly used measures of conditioned taste aversion were compared under a variety of experimental conditions. In the first experiment an aversion to a saccharin solution (0.1%) was conditioned by pairing this taste substance with a single 100 R exposure to Cobalt-60. Comparisons were performed between the following measures: a short-term single-bottle test, a 22-hour two-bottle preference test, a measure quantifying recovery from the aversion along with other measures derived from these tests. Appropriate control groups received saccharin and sham exposure, water and sham exposure, and water and radiation exposure in order to measure both neophobia and enhanced neophobia. In Experiment 2 the total whole body radiation exposure used to condition the taste aversion was varied in different groups from 50 to 300 R exposures and the effect on conditioning was measured using the dependent variables described in Experiment 1. In Experiment 3 radiation-induced taste aversion was studied in rats which had prior exposures to the saccharin solution. In all three studies it was shown that different interpretations result from measuring the conditioned aversion with the different dependent variables commonly used, and several measures are needed to give a fair and accurate description of learned taste aversion.

• OSTI ID: 5429886
• Journal Information: Physiol. Behav.; (United States), Vol. 27:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
LEARNING
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
AVOIDANCE
CONDITIONED REFLEXES
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
GAMMA RADIATION
INGESTION
RATS
SACCHARIN
WHOLE-BODY IRRADIATION
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ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
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HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
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IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRRADIATION
MAMMALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
REFLEXES
RODENTS
THIAZOLES
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560152* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Animals
550100 - Behavioral Biology