Measurement notes
Predefine whether the score is paired-side time, post-minus-pre change, paired-minus-unpaired difference, or percent preference. Preserve total distance and chamber entries so low exploration does not masquerade as preference.
Endpoint methods library
Reward and associative learning endpoint
Conditioned place preference score
Change in time spent in a cue-paired compartment after conditioning with a rewarding or aversive stimulus.
Unit
seconds, percent, or preference score
Readout
Post-conditioning preference for the paired compartment versus baseline or control side
Assays
Conditioned place preference, conditioned place aversion, drug reward, withdrawal, social reward
Decision summary
Use conditioned place preference score when the study asks whether an animal learned to approach or avoid an environment paired with a stimulus. The endpoint is strongest when baseline side bias, conditioning schedule, compartment cues, locomotion, and chamber time are visible.
| Primary value | Post-conditioning preference for the paired compartment versus baseline or control side |
|---|---|
| Common units | Seconds, percent session time, difference score, or preference ratio |
| Compatible assays | Conditioned place preference, conditioned place aversion, drug reward, withdrawal, social reward |
| Required boundary | Paired side, baseline rule, test duration, and preference formula |
| Do not infer alone | Reward magnitude, craving, reinforcement learning, or hedonic state without controls |
Interpretation limit
A higher score can support conditioned approach, but side bias, novelty, locomotor suppression, drug state during testing, cue salience, aversion, and apparatus asymmetry can alter compartment time.
Data capture
Store animal ID, conditioning group, paired side, baseline time, test time, chamber entries, distance traveled, dose, timing, conditioning day, compartment cue version, and exclusion notes.
Confound checks
- Baseline side bias or unbalanced compartment assignment.
- Drug effects on locomotion, anxiety, or state during the test session.
- Unequal compartment cues, odor, lighting, bedding, or cleaning.
- Low total exploration or few chamber transitions.
- Conditioning schedule, dose timing, or context exposure differs across groups.
Reporting checklist
- Apparatus layout, compartment cues, baseline session, and assignment method.
- Conditioning schedule, stimulus or dose, timing, route, and counterbalancing.
- Preference formula, test duration, and whether baseline correction was used.
- Paired-side time, unpaired-side time, center time, entries, distance, and exclusions.
- Side-bias thresholds and handling of non-exploratory animals.
- Blinding, cleaning protocol, sex, strain, age, and prior exposure.
References
Evidence notes
Endpoint pages should cite the method literature behind the scored value and keep high-specificity protocol claims qualified unless the source supports them.
- Prus AJ, James JR, Rosecrans JA. Conditioned place preference. Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience. NCBI Bookshelf.
- Tzschentke TM. Measuring reward with the conditioned place preference paradigm: a comprehensive review of drug effects. Addict Biol. 2007. doi:10.1111/j.1369-1600.2007.00070.x.
Related workflow paths
Endpoint articles link to adjacent products, software workflows, and sibling endpoints where the connection is useful and already routable.
