Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration
Published on: February 6, 2014
Learned flavor preferences. The variable potency of post-oral nutrient reinforcers
1Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA. kackroff@gc.cuny.edu
Abstract:
The notion that preferences for flavors paired with various nutrients can be attributed simply to their energy content ("flavor-calorie learning") is belied by variation in nutrient reinforcing potency. Fructose, fat and ethanol, all regarded as powerful contributors to food and fluid preferences, are less potent than glucose when their orosensory effects are bypassed. Conditioning studies in animals infused with nutrients as they consume target flavor solutions have shown that the weaker reinforcing effects of these nutrients can be enhanced by various methods that improve the opportunity for associating a flavor with post-oral effects. Until the nature of the reinforcing stimuli is understood, "flavor-nutrient learning" is a better label for these phenomena.
More Related Videos
08:07Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats
Published on: August 24, 2016
10:44Examination of Rapid Dopamine Dynamics with Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry During Intra-oral Tastant Administration in Awake Rats
Published on: August 12, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Conditioned Taste Aversion
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single exposure...
Taste Buds and Receptors
The Physiology of Taste
Gustation
Instinctive Drift
Dose-Response Relationship: Potency and Efficacy