Abstract
Water-rewarded spatial discrimination learning was studied in rats injected with either d-amphetamine sulphate or physiological saline 15 min prior to the first of two training sessions. The effect of a light which functioned as a reward and/or as a distraction in the testing situation was examined. Amphetamine was found to facilitate learning by enhancing the reward value of light onset and also to impair learning by enhancing the distraction of light onset. The effects of amphetamine were found to interact with the duration of water deprivation preceding the first training session. Factors responsible for the controversy concerning amphetamine's influence on learning were implicated.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Belanger, D., Feldman, S. M.: Effects of water deprivation upon heart rate and instrumental activity in the rat. J. comp. physiol. Psychol.55, 220–265 (1962).
Cole, S. O.: The depression of operant behavior and retarding action on discrimination learning by amphetamine. Psychon. Sci.10, 19–20 (1968).
Dispensa, J., Barrett, M. E.: The effect of amphetamine (Benezedrine) sulphate on maze performance of the albino rat. J. Psychol.11, 397–410 (1941).
Ewing, P. L., Moore, B. M., Moore, W. T.: The effect of amphetamine and related compounds on maze performance of white rats. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther.105, 343–348 (1952).
Glick, S. D.: Effects of d-amphetamine and frontal ablations on response suppression in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol.69, 49–54 (1969).
Kiernan, C. C.: Positive reinforcement by light: comments on Lockard's article. Psychol. Bull.62, 351–357 (1964).
—: Modification of the effects of amphetamine sulphate by past experience in the hooded rat. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.)8, 23–31 (1965).
Krieckhaus, E. E., Miller, N. E., Zimmerman, P.: Reduction of freezing behavior and improvement of shock avoidance by d-amphetamine. J. comp. physiol. Psychol.60, 36–40 (1965).
Kulkarni, A. S.: Facilitation of instrumental avoidance learning by amphetamine: An analysis. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.)13, 418–425 (1968).
—: Job, W. M.: Facilitation of avoidance learning by d-amphetamine. Life Sci.6, 1579–1587 (1967).
Meginnis, R. F.: Interaction of d-amphetamine and food deprivation on fixed ratio behavior in pigeons. Psychol. Rep.20, 355–358 (1967).
McGaugh, J. L., Petrinovich, L. F.: Effects of drugs on learning and memory. Int. Rev. Neurobiol.8, 139–196 (1965).
Miller, N. E.: Effects of drugs on motivation: the value of using a variety of measures. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. (Wash.)65, 318–333 (1956).
Minkowsky, W. L.: The effect of Benzedrine Sulphate on learning. J. comp. physiol. Psychol.28, 349–360 (1939)
Rensch, B., Rahmann, H.: Einfluß des Pervitins auf das Gedächtnis von Goldhamstern. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol.271, 693–704 (1960).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Glick, S.D. Facilitation or impairment of learning by d-amphetamine as a function of stimuli. Psychopharmacologia 21, 353–360 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02419057
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02419057