Abstract
Preference for a 0.13% saccharine solution over tap water in five groups of rats was seen to vary as a function of age at the start of preference testing, and age when removed from the mother. Previous experience with saccharine had little or no effect on saccharine preference. Rats given 165 successive days of exposure to saccharine showed no tendency for saccharine preference to decline over time. The results suggest that saccharine preference in rats occurs because the sweet taste of saccharine is a primary reward; however, preference magnitude appears to depend upon maturational factors.
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References
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Colavita, F.B. Saccharine preference in rats as a function of age and early experience. Psychon Sci 12, 311–312 (1968). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331325
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331325