Abstract
Rats were trained to avoid footshock during three daily sessions, 100 trials/session, in an automated one-way avoidance chamber. Subsequent to training, footshock was terminated and the rats’ persistence in responding was tabulated. Between training and the test of persisting avoidance, three groups of rats received a response prevention (RP) treatment and one group received no RP. RP consisted of forcing the rats to stay on the once-dangerous grid for 5 min, once a day for 4 days. Two groups received RP under the influence diazepam (25 or 50 mg/kg, p.o.). With respect to persisting avoidance, groups ordered themselves from most to least as: (1) placebo with no RP, (2) high dose of diazepam with RP, (3) low dose of diazepam with RP, and (4) placebo with RP. Because RP with placebo was the most effective treatment, it was concluded that diazepam is inefficient as an adjunctive treatment for over-coming persisting anxiety/fear/avoidance.
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This work was supported by Grant DA02044 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
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Gorman, J.E., Dyak, J.D. & Reid, L.D. Methods of deconditioning persisting avoidance: Diazepam as an adjunct to response prevention. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 14, 46–48 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329396
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329396