Abstract
The effects of caffeine ingestion on rats were tested through barpress and maze performance. Four adult male and 4 adult female rats were bred, yielding 39 offspring (18 control, 21 experimental). The experimental pups received .50 mg/ml of caffeine in drinking water throughout gestation, weaning, and early adulthood; the control group received plain tap water. At 21 days of age, the pups began barpress and maze learning. The subjects were allowed a total of 8 min for each test on alternate days. The results were characterized by the presence of several reliable caffeine × trials interactions. Inspection of the interactions prompted the generalization that although caffeine may facilitate performance early in training, it hinders performance on later trials.
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This paper was presented at the 1992 meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association, Austin, TX.
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Cathey, N.R., Smith, R.A. & Davis, S.F. Effects of caffeine on rats’ barpress and maze performance. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 31, 49–52 (1993). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334138
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334138