A failure to find socially mediated taste aversion learning in Norway rats (R. norvegicus).

Three studies with 240 Long-Evans rats investigated whether rats would avoid ingesting a diet as the result of interacting with an ill conspecific that had ingested that diet. Observer rats interacted with conspecific demonstrators immediately after demonstrators ate a novel diet and were made ill by LiCl injection. Following their interaction with demonstrators, observers were tested for aversion to their ill demonstrator's diet. Previous research has shown that (a) an observer can extract information from a demonstrator sufficient to permit identification of the demonstrator's diet and (b) a rat ill from LiCl toxicosis is an adequate UCS in a taste aversion learning paradigm. Two of the present experiments demonstrated that cues emitted by an S, reflecting the particular diet it has eaten, were an adequate CS in a toxicosis-induced aversion learning situation. Observer avoidance of a diet previously ingested by an ill demonstrator was, however, not demonstrated. Implications of the failure to find socially mediated aversion learning are discussed. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)