Irrelevant-incentive learning with flavors in rats.

In four experiments, rats were trained to associate one cue with one incentive and another cue with a different incentive. Experiment 1 used food and water as the incentives, and Experiments 2-4 used arbitrarily flavored sugar solutions as the incentives; Experiments 1-3 used flavor cues, and Experiment 4 used exteroceptive cues. Preference between the cues was tested under deprivation conditions different from training. With flavor cues, the rats preferred the cue for the incentive with which they were not satiated in the test (Experiments 1 and 2), but they showed no tendency to prefer the cue for the incentive with which they had not been satiated during training (Experiments 2 and 3). With exteroceptive cues, on the other hand, preference in the test depended upon satiation during training but not upon satiation in the test (Experiment 4). These results indicate latent learning but no learning of a habit with flavor cues, and learning of a habit but no latent learning with exteroceptive cues.