The role of novelty in learned avoidance of unpalatable ‘Prey’ by domestic chicks (Gallus Gallus)

The notion that the novelty of the object to be avoided might be an important factor in how rapidly animals learn not to attack unpalatable prey was tested in two experiments in which young domestic chicks were trained in a successive discrimination procedure to avoid drinking quinine-flavoured or shocked water of a distinctive colour.

Abstract

A variety of evidence suggests that the novelty of the object to be avoided might be an important factor in how rapidly animals learn not to attack unpalatable prey. The notion was tested in two experiments in which young domestic chicks were trained in a successive discrimination procedure to avoid drinking quinine-flavoured or shocked water of a distinctive colour. They learned to do so much faster if the unapalatable water was an unfamiliar colour and the palatable water was the colour they had been raised on than if the reverse was true. The implications of these findings for Batesian mimicry systems are discussed.