Psychopharmacologia

, Volume 25, Issue 2, pp 112–116 | Cite as

Effects of methaphetamine on well-practiced discrimination conditioning of the eyelid response

  • Paul Gendreau
  • D. Sherlock
  • T. Parsons
  • R. McLean
  • G. D. Scott
  • Milton D. Suboski
Human Pharmacology

Abstract

Discrimination eyelid conditioning was conducted under inhibitory, neutral and facilitatory instructional sets in well-practiced subjects following administration of methaphetamine, diazepam, or a placebo. Discrimination under methaphetamine was superior to the other two drug conditions, primarily as a result of decreased response levels to the unreinforced stimulus. There appeared to be no differences among drug conditions that were attributable to effects of the drugs on responsivity (nonspecific reactivity).

Key words

Diazepam Discrimination Eyelid Conditioning Methaphetamine Methedrine Valium 

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Cole, S. O.: Experimental effects of amphetamine: A review. Psychol. Bull. 68, 81–90 (1967).Google Scholar
  2. —: Note on amphetamine and food-motivated discrimination. Percept. Mot. Skills 31, 774 (1970).Google Scholar
  3. Dési, I., Kertai, P., Farkas, I., Muskó, Z., Hajós, P.: The process of learning in rats undergoing prolonged treatment with psychotropic agents. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 18, 144–153 (1970).Google Scholar
  4. Fog, R.: Behavioural effects in rats of morphine and amphetamine and of a combination of the two drugs. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 16, 305–312 (1970).Google Scholar
  5. Franks, C., Trouton, D.: Effects of amobarbital sodium and dexamphetamine sulphate on the conditioning of the eyeblink response. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 51, 220–222 (1958).Google Scholar
  6. Galambos, E., Pfeifer, A. K., GyŐrgy, L., Molnár, J.: Study on the excitation induced by amphetamine, cocaine, and α-methyltryptamine. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 11, 122–129 (1967).Google Scholar
  7. Gendreau, P., Suboski, M. D.: Classical discrimination eyelid conditioning in primary psychopaths. J. abnorm. Psychol. 77, 242–246 (1971a).Google Scholar
  8. — —: Intelligence and age in discrimination conditioning of the eyelid response. J. exp. Psychol. 89, 379–383 (1971b).Google Scholar
  9. Glick, S. D., Jarvik, M. E.: Impairment by d-amphetamine of delayed matching performance in monkeys. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 169, 1–6 (1969).Google Scholar
  10. Green, D. M., Swets, J. A.: Signal detection theory and psychophysics. New York: Wiley 1966.Google Scholar
  11. Jonason, K. R., Lauber, S. M., Robbins, M. J., Meyer, P. M., Meyer, D. R.: Effects of amphetamine upon relearning pattern and black-white discriminations following neocortical lesions in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 73, 47–55 (1970).Google Scholar
  12. Kiernan, C. C.: Modification of the effects of amphetamine sulphate by past experience in the hooded rat. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 8, 23–31 (1965).Google Scholar
  13. Kumar, R.: Exploration and latent learning: Differential effects of dexamphetamine on components of exploratory behaviour in rats. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 16, 54–72 (1969).Google Scholar
  14. Laties, V. G., Weiss, B.: Performance enhancement by the amphetamines: A new appraisal. In: H. Brill, J. O. Cole, P. Deniker, H. Hippius, and P. B. Bradley, eds.: Neuropsychopharmacology, pp. 800–808. New York: Excerpta Medica Foundation 1967.Google Scholar
  15. Suboski, M. D.: The analysis of classical discrimination conditioning. Psychol. Bull. 68, 235–242 (1967)Google Scholar
  16. —, Khosla, S.: UCS intensity and instructional set in classical eyelid conditioning: Discrimination conditioning and signal-detection analysis. Canad. J. Psychol. 23, 289–401 (1969).Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1972

Authors and Affiliations

  • Paul Gendreau
    • 1
  • D. Sherlock
    • 1
    • 2
  • T. Parsons
    • 1
    • 2
  • R. McLean
    • 1
    • 2
  • G. D. Scott
    • 1
    • 3
  • Milton D. Suboski
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PsychologyQueen's UniversityKingstonCanada
  2. 2.Department of PsychiatryQueen's UniversityCanada
  3. 3.Kingston PenitentiaryCanada

Personalised recommendations