Introduction
Some vertebrates and invertebrates share a type of learning that is critical for survival. These animals can associate a relatively novel taste with the effect of poisoning, resulting in a learned or conditioned taste aversion (CTA) to the respective flavor or, by generalization, to similar flavors (Scott 2011). In the following exposures to the conditioned taste stimulus, the animals would consider that stimulus dangerous because they would have learned that it induces gastrointestinal malaise and, if the conditions of survival allow it (i.e., if there is another food available), they would reject that stimulus. Acquired aversion does not only mean rejection or avoidance of the taste stimulus in the future but also involves a change of its hedonic value because it would be perceived as an unpleasant stimulus. This process preserves the life and, therefore, is an adaptive learning, especially for omnivorous species, such as the human beings, which feed on all potential...
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Molero-Chamizo, A. (2022). Taste Aversions. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55065-7_1485
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