Salience modulation and associative inhibition interaction: Short but not long exposure to similar stimuli protects the salience of the unique elements

In three experiments, rats were given preexposure to two similar flavour compounds, AX and BX. Following preexposure, conditioning trials took place in which AX was paired with an illness-induced unconditioned stimulus. Animals that were given short alternated preexposure to AX and BX, showed higher generalization of conditioned aversion to AX to a new compound, AN, than animals that were given blocked preexposure (short and long) and long alternated preexposure (Experiments 1 and 2); and showed less preference for A when they were given a choice between A and X (Experiment 3). These results have been taken to indicate that the salience of the A element is well preserved after short alternated preexposure, but declines when preexposure goes on for some more trials. The results reported support the notion that perceptual learning is a multi-determined phenomenon that depends on salience modulation processes after relatively short preexposure, and on an associative inhibition mechanism after prolonged preexposure.