Abstract
Decision making utilizes preferences which are derived from objective and subjective conceptions of experiences. Although perception is often assumed to be a simple function of feedforward sensory processing, internal factors such as mood, metabolism, and motivation play a substantial role in determining how organisms experience the outside world. This interplay between internal and external variables drives decision making processes which in turn drive behavior, but we know little about how (nor to what degree) internal body states modulate perception of the outside world. The work in this thesis investigates the manner in which disparate internal states shape naïve taste preferences, and thereby impact consumption decision making. Starting with a general introduction to internal body states and a formulation of a brief scientific roadmap to my investigations, I go on to describe how pharmacologically and endogenously-induced internal states (nicotine, estradiol, and LiCl illness) impact naïve taste preferences and cortical taste coding. I end with a discussion of the commonalities among, and differences between, the distinct internal states.