EXPOSURE TO A PROTEIN-DEFICIENT AND TRYPTOPHAN-DEFICIENT DIET RESULTSIN NEOPHILIA

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the conditioned-taste-ave rsion account of neophilia. The basic procedure in these experiments i nvolved exposing rats to a protein- and tryptophan-deficient diet of c orn grits prior to preference testing. In Experiment 1, the deficient animals consumed more of a novel peppermint flavor than did the normal ly raised animals. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that the diff erences shown in Experiment 1 were not attributable to the physiologic al state present at the time of preference testing. In Experiment 3, t he animals selectively avoided a specific flavor that had been associa ted with the deficient diet. These data are supportive of the taste-av ersion account of neophilia.