APA Dictionary of Psychology

a process in which experience with certain stimuli renders as reinforcing the place where that experience occurred. For example, a rat might be injected with cocaine and then restricted to one side of a two-compartment chamber. After a number of trials, a test is conducted in which the rat can move freely between the two compartments. If the rat spends a majority of its time on the side in which it experienced cocaine, a CPP has been developed. Also called place conditioning.