Positive and negative patterning after CS preexposure in flavor aversion conditioning

Three experiments examined rats’ ability to discriminate a compound conditioned stimulus (CS) from the individual elements of that compound in a flavor aversion conditioning paradigm. In Experiment 1, presentations of a compound of sucrose and saline solutions were followed by lithium chloride injections, but presentations of those elements individually were nonrein-forced (positive patterning). Conversely, in Experiments 2 and 3, presentations of the individual elements were followed by lithium chloride injection, but compound presentations were non-reinforced (negative patterning). The discriminations were acquired in all three experiments. In addition, all three experiments investigated the effects of preexposure of the discriminative stimuli on subsequent acquisition of the patterned discriminations. In positive patterning, preexposure had no measurable effect on the acquisition of responding (suppression) to the reinforced compound stimulus, but slowed the loss of suppression to the nonreinforced elements. In negative patterning, preexposure slowed the acquisition of suppression to the reinforced elements but had little effect on the loss of suppression to the nonreinforced compound.