[Dominant, motivation and behavior].

Abstract

It was shown in experiments on cats with elaborated conditioned running to the left (with fresh food) and right (with salted food) feeding troughs that conditioned signals may change the current behaviour in spite of real unconditioned stimuli. The fresh food signal produces a conditioned "freshening" of the salt meat, which may be regarded as a successful physiological model of gustatory illusions. With a free choice of different salinity of food from different cups of each feeding though, behaviour is corrected by unconditioned factors, i.e. real salinity of food. As a result the thresholds of eating salt food from both feeding troughs are equalized. The facts are discussed in the light of the dominant principle, i.e. that central program which is built on the basis of the dominant motivation, of previous experience and current analysis of surroundings.