Vílchez, Z., Barrón, E., Ávila-Chauvet, L., Buriticá, J., & García-Leal, Ó. (2023). State-Dependent Valuation Learning Affects Preference in a Delay-Discounting Task. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202303.0291.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Vílchez, Z., Jonathan Buriticá and Óscar García-Leal. 2023 "State-Dependent Valuation Learning Affects Preference in a Delay-Discounting Task" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202303.0291.v1
Abstract
If a subject learns about the properties of an alternative under a high state of food deprivation, it will prefer this alternative over a similar one in a later choice test, although the subject is currently under a relative state of satiety. In this experiment, we probe this effect in a delay-discounting task, where the reward of the experienced alternative is progressively delayed. Eight male Wistar rats were trained to respond to an alternative under a high state of deprivation and eight rats under a relative state of satiety. After 20 sessions, their weight was recalibrated to a state of relative satiety. Then, they were exposed to a delay-discounting task where the long-larger alternative was the one used during training. The group that experienced the alternative under a higher level of food deprivation preferred more this alternative, and its preference stayed across time. On the contrary, the group that experienced the alternative under a lower level of food deprivation systematically preferred the small-shorter alternative. Our results support that the reinforcement value may be sensitive to the organism's state at the moment an alternative is experienced for the first time.
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