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Psicothema, 2011. Vol. Vol. 23 (nº 4). 759-764




Predictive learning in nutrient-based flavor conditioning

David García-Burgos and Felisa González Reyes

Universidad de Granada

This paper presents two experiments on nutrient-based flavor conditioning with rats as subjects and sucrose as the unconditioned stimulus (US). Experiment 1 was aimed at establishing an optimal control for conditioning, comparing simultaneous and serial presentations of a flavor and the US. The results showed that simultaneous, but not serial training, produced conditioning. Experiment 2 was designed to obtain evidence of summation as an index of both conditioned inhibition and predictive learning. Group Simultaneous received Pavlovian conditioned inhibition training during which flavor A was simultaneously paired with sucrose on excitatory trials (A+), and forming an unreinforced compound with flavor B on inhibitory trials (AB-). An independent excitor for the summation test was also trained by simultaneous pairings with sucrose (C+). In the control group (Blocked), the AB- trials were presented forming a block at the beginning of training to avoid a negative contingency-relationship with sucrose, and flavor A received serial rather than simultaneous pairing with sucrose (A --> +). On the summation test, only in group Simultaneous was consumption of the CB compound lower than that of flavor C alone, suggesting that, during training, flavor A activated an expectancy of the US occurrence.

Aprendizaje predictivo en condicionamiento al sabor basado en nutrientes.Se presentan dos experimentos de condicionamiento al sabor basado en nutrientes con ratas. El Experimento 1 estableció una condición de control óptima para el condicionamiento comparando presentaciones simultáneas y seriales de un sabor y sacarosa. El procedimiento de entrenamiento simultáneo, pero no el serial, produjo condicionamiento. El Experimento 2 se diseñó para obtener evidencias de sumación como índice tanto de inhibición condicionada como de aprendizaje predictivo. El grupo simultáneo recibió entrenamiento en inhibición condicionada Pavloviana: el sabor A se presentó simultáneamente con sacarosa en los ensayos excitatorios (A+), y formando un compuesto no reforzado con el sabor B en los ensayos inhibitorios (AB-). Se entrenó también un excitador independiente para la prueba de sumación mediante emparejamientos simultáneos con sacarosa (C+). En el grupo control los ensayos AB- fueron presentados formando un bloque al inicio del entrenamiento, y el sabor A recibió emparejamientos seriales con la sacarosa en lugar de simultáneos (A --> +). En la prueba de sumación, el consumo del compuesto CB fue menor que el del sabor C en solitario solo en el grupo simultáneo, sugiriendo que durante el entrenamiento el sabor A activó una expectativa de la ocurrencia de la sacarosa.

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