Ontogenetic differences in the expression of conditioned visual aversions
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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

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Published on: October 8, 2019
Joyce A Jagielo1, James S Miller, Jennifer Spear Smith
1Department of Psychology, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA 16444, USA.
Abstract:
We examined ontogenetic differences in the expression of conditioned visual aversions. Sprague-Dawley-derived rats, 16 or 21 days of age, were conditioned with either an element (brightness) or compound (brightness/odor) CS+ and tested for their aversion to the common element (brightness). Aversions to the brightness cue were assessed by either a traditional test of preference between the CS+ brightness and a contrasting brightness or by assessment of freezing in the presence of either brightness cue. The results indicated that strength of conditioning as well as the expression of overshadowing/potentiation was dependent on the age of the animal and on the technique used to assess conditioning.
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