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Discrimination of stimulus duration and d-amphetamine in pigeons: A psychophysical analysis

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Abstract

Pigeons discriminated visual stimulus duration in a psychophysical choice procedure. Following short durations, one of two responses was reinforced; following long durations, the other response was reinforced. Discrimination accuracy decreased as a function of increasing dose level of d-amphetamine. Decrements in accuracy were greater for two of three pigeons following long-than following short-stimulus durations. Position response biases increased as dose level incraesed. Similar effects of the drug on behavior occurred over two temporal ranges of stimulus durations studied.

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The opinions and statements contained herein are the private ones of the writers and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Navy Department or of the naval service at large.

The animals used in this study were handled in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 89-44 as amended by Public Law 91-579, the “Animal Welfare Act of 1970” and the principles outlined in the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals,” U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare Publication No. (NIH) 73-23.

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Stubbs, D.A., Thomas, J.R. Discrimination of stimulus duration and d-amphetamine in pigeons: A psychophysical analysis. Psychopharmacologia 36, 313–322 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422563

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422563

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