Adaptive weighting of taste and odor cues during flavor choice
Joost X. Maier, Victoria E Elliott
Abstract
The authors demonstrate that rats make choices about which flavor solution (i.e., taste-odor mixture) to consume by weighting the individual taste and odor components according to the reliability of the information they provide about which solution is the preferred one. A similar weighting operation underlies multisensory cue combination in other domains and offers novel insight into the computations underlying multisensory flavor perception and food choice behavior.
Topics & Concepts
OdorFlavorTastePsychologyCommunicationSensory cueCognitive psychologyWeightingNeuroscienceFood scienceBiologyPhysicsAcousticsOlfactory and Sensory Function StudiesBiochemical Analysis and Sensing TechniquesMultisensory perception and integration