The first time a wild rat encounters a food it has never tasted before,it usually displays
A) conditioned taste aversion.
B) neophobia.
C) thigmotaxis.
D) temporal contiguity.
E) an emetic reaction.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Neophobia refers to the fear or avoidance of new things, including food. When a wild rat encounters a new food item, it is likely to display neophobic behavior before eventually accepting the food. Conditioned taste aversion (A) refers to a learned aversion to a particular taste or flavor due to illness or negative experiences. Thigmotaxis (C) refers to the tendency of an animal to stay in contact with or close to surfaces, such as walls. Temporal contiguity (D) refers to the occurrence of two events in close temporal proximity, which can be important for learning and conditioning. An emetic reaction (E) involves vomiting in response to a particular substance and is not necessarily related to encountering a new food item.

The First Time a Wild Rat Encounters a Food It