In taste aversion studies that condition both quails and rats to being sick after drinking salty blue water, researchers have found that following recovery when the animals are given the option for either salty water or normal water colored blue:
A) The rats choose the normal blue water and the quails choose the salty water
B) The rats choose the salty water and the quails choose the blue water
C) The rats alternate between the two waters and the quails drink only the blue water
D) The quails alternate between the waters and the rats drinks only the salty water

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This outcome is due to the different associative learning mechanisms in rats and quails. Rats, being terrestrial animals, are more likely to associate illness with taste (in this case, the saltiness of the water), leading them to avoid the salty water after recovery. Quails, on the other hand, are more likely to associate illness with visual cues (the color blue in this case) due to their reliance on vision for identifying food, leading them to avoid the blue water and choose the salty water instead.

In Taste Aversion Studies That Condition Both Quails and Rats