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EFFECTS OF PENTOBARBITAL ON FIXED‐RATIO REINFORCEMENT 1, 2
Author(s) -
Waller Marcus B.,
Morse W. H.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-125
Subject(s) - pentobarbital , reinforcement , computer science , physics , radiochemistry , psychology , chemistry , medicine , anesthesia , social psychology
Certain doses of pentobarbital consistently increased the rate of pecking engendered by a fixed‐ratio schedule of 30 responses in a group of 13 pigeons, and still higher doses produced decrements in rate of responding. For individual subjects, the dose‐effect functions were qualitatively similar, but differed with respect to the doses producing the maximum increase and subsequent decrease in rate. In general, the maximum occurred at lower doses and the decrement was greater at the highest dose in the birds with the highest control rates. It was also possible to distinguish between the effects of pentobarbital and several other drugs on the behavior maintained by FR 30. The results indicate that changes in rate of responding on FR 30 after drug administration are dose‐dependent, drug‐specific effects.