Hedonic organization and regulation of behavior.

Abstract

The paper is a critical review supplementing previous articles upon the role of hedonic processes in motivation and learning. Special emphasis is placed upon the organizing and regulatory functions of affective processes. Recent experiments from the author's laboratory are reviewed and their theoretical significance considered. These experiments deal with hedonic processes as related to gustatory stimulation, food preference and intake, regulation of ingestive behavior, development of incentive values, and related matters. The main topics considered are: basic concepts and definitions; psychophysical studies of hedonic processes; studies of thresholds, preference, and the regulation of food intake; physiology of affective processes; the role of affective processes in motivation and learning; general conclusions.

The gustatory neocortex of the rat

“…Aware of concerns regarding the sensitivity of taste preference and threshold measures to the methods employed (Stellar & McCleary, 1952;Young, 1966), we chose to analyze concentration response functions over a wide range of concentrations of stimuli from each of the basic taste categories rather than use discrete definitions of threshold as bad been done in the original studies (e.g., Benjamin & Pfaffmann, 1955). In addition, we used one-bottle tests· because of their simplicity relative to two-bottle tests.…”

“…Initial interest in gustatory neocortical function developed from questions concerning the degree to which generalizations derived from behavioral studies of visual, auditory, and somatosensory neocortices might be applicable to gustatory regions. The principal advantage of studying gustatory processes from a hierarchical perspective is that taste stimuli have a powerful and enduring impact on relevant behavior without prior training (e.g., Young, 1966). Rats display characteristic concentration response functions to representative tastes from each of the four major taste classifications, as discussed in the previous section.…”

Sucrose intake functions of rat and cockroach for single and six solution presentations

“…

Functions relating intake of sucrose solutions to concentration typically show maximum intake at about 8% (Richter & Campbell, 1940;Young, 1966). Such inverted-U shaped functions are obtained in procedures in which rats are allowed free access to only a single concentration of sucrose at a time.

…”

“…This evidence is, however, confined to two concentrations (Young & Greene, 1953), and to a study by Carpenter (1958), whose use of groups of rats with access to a common fluid source raises methodological problems. In view of the limited nature of this evidence, an attempt was made to obtain both the monotonic and inverted-U function in the same experiment by giving individual rats access to one or to six sucrose solutions.The disparity between the functions obtained in Single versus multiple solution presentations has been attributed to the absence or presence of an opportunity to display choice behavior (Young, 1966). A second objective, then, was to determine whether the disparity between the functions could be reduced by using an animal considered less capable than the rat of learning and, therefore, of displaying choice behavior.…”

"The Impact of a Low-Fat Diet and the Use of Fat Substitutes on Fat Preferences Among Overweight Women Seeking Weight Loss Treatment"

“…That is, when a food is rated as likeable, it may be inferred that it has more positive hedonic qualities (e.g., sweeter, creamier). It was Young's (1966) thesis that behavior is motivated and organized, in part, by the hedonic effects of sensory stimulation. The development of preferential behavior is thought to be dependent on the hedonic effects of sensory stimulation (Young, 1966).…”