Interaction of social and individual learning in food preferences of Norway rats

We conducted four experiments to examine the effects of individual experien ce of postingestive consequences of eating foods on the longevity of Norway rats', Rattus norvegicus, socially enhanced food preferences. The results of these experiments showed that: (1) waning of a socially enhanced food pr eference resulted from experience of postingestive consequences of foods, ( 2) time available each day to sample foods affected the rate at which a soc ially enhanced food preference waned, (3) the relative value of a food for which enhanced preference had been socially induced and of alternative food s markedly affected the rate at which socially enhanced preferences waned, and (4) experience of a food and its alternatives after social enhancement of a food preference had a significantly greater effect on the rate at whic h the socially enhanced preference waned than similar exposure to the same foods before social enhancement of a preference. These results are consiste nt with the view that social learning acts primarily to introduce behaviour into an individual's repertoire and experience of the consequences of enga ging in a socially learned behaviour and its alternatives determines the pe rsistence of the socially learned behaviour. (C) 2001 The Association for t he Study of Animal Behaviour.