Potentiation of odor by taste in rats was tested in a variety of situations. In three experiments, almond odor and saccharin taste were presented either as a single conditioned stimulus (CS) or as a compound CS and followed by either toxic lithium chloride or footshock. Extinction tests with the almond and saccharin components were then given. In single CS-toxin experiments, taste was more effective than odor, and after compound conditioning, the taste component potentiated the odor component. Conversely, in single CS-shock experiments, odor was more effective than taste, and after compound conditioning, no potentiation was observed. Rather, interference effects were observed. In Experiments 1 and 2, the addition of taste disrupted odor CSshock conditioning, and in Experiment 3, odor interfered with taste CS-shock conditioning. Visceral feedback is apparently a necessary unconditioned stimulus for the potentiation of odor by taste. These data support the neural convergence and gating hypothesis of flavor aversion conditioning.When compared as single conditioned stimuli (CS) for the rat, odor is a weak cue for delayed lithium poisoning whereas taste is a strong cue (Hankins, Garcia, & Rusiniak, 1973;Hankins, Rusiniak, & Garcia, 1976). However, when both cues are combined into a compound CS and followed by delayed lithium-induced illness, taste potentiates odor. After compound conditioning, odor becomes highly effective when tested alone and may become even stronger than taste (Palmerino,

The role of zoos in conservation education and the management, propagation, and reintroduction of endangered species provides many opportunities for the application of behavior-analytic techniques.Studies of captive animals are often concerned with functional relationships between environment and behavior-the forte of applied behavior analysis.In the daily management of their charges, animal caretakers regularly apply behavioral techniques, induding shaping, use of discriminative stimuli, and varied schedules of reinforcement. However, zoo professionals have not adequately analyzed the behavioral contingencies involved in their management procedures or the consequences of the absence of natural contingencies (Forthman-Quick, 1984;Markowitz, 1982). This commentary outlines the major management tasks faced by zoo professionals as well as current and potential influences of applied behavior analysis. CURRENT APPLICATIONS Promotion of Species-Typical BehaviorA primary management goal of zoos is to promote species-typical behavior patterns and to discourage exhibition of behaviors that are apparent We thank M. J. Marr, moderator of the symposium at the 1991 annual conference of the Association for Behavior Analysis for which this paper was developed. We also thank

University (R. B.)7 AtlantaBears are extremely popular among the zoo-going public, yet while many zoo exhibits have undergone dramatic design changes in recent years, most bears continue to be housed in moated grottos constructed largely of gunite. In these traditional exhibits they frequently demonstrate stereotypic locomotor patterns and are often encouraged by the public to beg. Thus, the manner in which most captive bears are exhibited does not facilitate conservation education. It is possible, however, to provide bears with opportunities to demonstrate species-typical feeding and foraging behaviors, even in standard exhibits. Subjects were four individuals of three bear species. Feeding enrichment was provided to one bear per week during three mornings during the summers of 1989 and 1990. Overall, animals were more active, less passive and less often engaged in abnormal behaviors during sessions with enrichment. Effects showed individual variation and were more profound during the second year of the study, when a greater variety of enrichment items was presented. These results suggest that simple and inexpensive methods of enrichment may have a significant, positive influence on the behavior of captive bears. 0 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

No abstract