Enhancement of food aversion by exposure to a poisoned conspecific in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether exposure to a poisoned conspecific enhances prior food aversion in rats. In Experiment 1, subjects were serially exposed to two foods, cocoa-flavored and cinnamon-flavored ones, and were then poisoned 1 h later. On the next day, they were exposed to a poisoned conspecific that had eaten a cocoa-flavored food. On the subsequent choice lest, subjects had an enhanced aversion to cocoa-flavored food. The result was replicated in Experiment 2, in which a cinnamon-flavored food was assigned as a target. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings.