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Effect of amobarbital and chlorpromazine on punished behavior in the pigeon

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Summary

The effects of amobarbital and chlorpromazine were studied on punished behavior in the pigeon. Key-pecking responses, maintained by a variable-interval schedule of food reinforcement, were punished by brief electric shocks. Under this simultaneous food and punishment schedule, responding is suppressed and occurs at a fairly uniform rate that is inversely related to the punishment intensity. Amobarbital partially restores responding suppressed by punishment, but chlorpromazine has no tendency to attenuate suppression by punishment.

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This work was supported by grants MH 02904 and MH 07658 from the U.S. Public Health Service and by a research career program award 5-K3-GM-15, 530 from the Institute of Mental Health.

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Morse, W.H. Effect of amobarbital and chlorpromazine on punished behavior in the pigeon. Psychopharmacologia 6, 286–294 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00413158

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00413158

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