TASTE-POTENTIATED COLOR AVERSIONS IN PIGEONS - EXAMINATION OF CS PREEXPOSURE AND SUBSEQUENT EFFECTS ON POSTCONDITIONING EXTINCTION OF THE TASTE-AVERSION

In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of potentiation u sing pigeons as subjects. Half the groups were given unreinforced pree xposures to the CS on 2 consecutive days before aversion training. Aft er training, the taste aversion was extinguished in some of the groups conditioned with a colored, tasty compound. Postconditioning extincti on of the taste aversion was found to attenuate potentiated color aver sions. This was the case for the subjects that both were and were not preexposed to the CS. These results lend support to the summation theo ry of potentiation (Durlach and Rescorla, 1980) and weaken the claim t hat CS preexposures are necessary for obtaining such support. Alternat ive accounts of the data are discussed.