Effects of pentobarbital on punished behavior at different shock intensities

https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-3057(76)90265-3Get rights and content

Abstract

Key-pecking by two pigeons was maintained initially under a schedule where the first response after five minutes had elapsed produced food. When every 50th response produced shock, responding was suppressed (punishment). Although rates and patterns of punished responding remained comparable when the shock intensity was reduced by half, pentobarbital produced much greater increases in both overall and local rates of responding at the lower shock intensity. Pentobarbital also produced larger increases in the low rates of responding immediately following shock when the lower intensity shock was in effect.

Reference (22)

  • AzrinN.H.

    A new technique for delivering shock to pigeons

    J. exp. Analysis Behav.

    (1959)
  • CookL. et al.

    Effects of drugs on avoidance and escape behavior

  • CookL. et al.

    Effects of behaviorally active drugs in a conflict-punishment procedure in rats

  • CookL. et al.

    Reinforcement schedules and extrapolations to humans from animals in behavioral pharmacology

  • DewsP.B.

    A behavioral effect of amobarbital

    Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. exp. Path. Pharmak

    (1964)
  • FersterC.B. et al.

    Schedules of Reinforcement

    (1957)
  • ForeeD.D. et al.

    Drugs and punished responding II:d-amphetamine induced increases in punished responding

    J. exp. Analysis Behav.

    (1973)
  • GellerJ. et al.

    The effects of chlordiazepoxide and chlorpromazine on a punishment discrimination

    Psychopharmacologia

    (1962)
  • GellerJ. et al.

    The effects of meprobamate, barbiturates, d-amphetamine and promazine on experimentally induced conflict in the rat

    Psychopharmacologia

    (1960)
  • GellerJ. et al.

    The effects of mono-urethans, di-urethans and barbiturates on a punishment discrimination

    J. Pharmac. exp. Therap.

    (1962)
  • HansonH.M. et al.

    Drug effects in squirrel monkeys trained on a multiple schedule with a punishment contingency

    J. exp. Analysis Behav.

    (1967)
  • Cited by (16)

    • The romantic age of pharmacological science

      2022, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior
    • Antiemetic effects of 5-HT<inf>1A</inf> agonists in the pigeon

      1994, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    Supported in part by research grant AA 02104. We thank Abbott Laboratories for furnishing the pentobarbital, Lois Huffman and Nancy Gehman for help in the preparation of the manuscript.

    2

    Now at the Department of Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

    View full text