Molina et al. (2006, 2007) adapted the SOC procedure to scrutinize the preweanling’s perception of ethanol’s hedonic effects. Specifically, 14 day old rats were given intraoral infusions of a tastant (CS1) after administration of 0.5 or 2.0 g/kg ethanol. Pups were subsequently exposed to the CS1 while over sandpaper (CS2), and then preference for sandpaper was tested. Intraoral CSs paired with low dose ethanol (0.5 g/kg) or the early effects (5-15 min postadministration, PAT) of the higher dose induced preference for the sandpaper texture. That is, the ethanol-paired tastant (CS1) endowed the tactile cue (CS2) with positive, second-order reinforcing capabilities (Molina et al., 2006). Interestingly, second-order tactile aversions emerged when the pairing between the higher dose and the CS1 was delayed until 30-45 min PAT, an interval characterized by peak blood ethanol concentrations (Molina et al., 2007). In other words, the SOC preparation can detect differential (i.e., appetitive vs. aversive) motivational properties of ethanol as a function of dose and postadministration time. Similar biphasic motivational effects of ethanol have been observed in adult mice (Risinger & Cunningham, 1992; Cunningham et al., 2002).
