Abstract
Ten London pigeons were trained on a schedule which allowed concurrent measurement of motor and exteroceptive sensory changes. The task involved a conditional colour discrimination contingent upon the completion of a fixed interval schedule of responding. As a preliminary pharmacological study the effects of the benzodiazepines, chlordiazepoxide and flurazepam were investigated. Both drugs enhanced perseverative responding (after completion of the FI), and to a variable degree responding during the FI, although there was no evidence for an increase in responding during the inter-trial-intervals. On the other hand, no marked changes in discrimination performance were observed. It is concluded that the most significant effects of these benzodiazepines are on motor mechanisms.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bainbridge, J. G.: The effect of psychotropic drugs on food reinforced behaviour and on food consumption. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 12, 204–213 (1968)
Bignami, G., Gatti, G. L.: Analysis of drug effects on multiple fixed ratio 33-fixex interval 5 min in pigeons. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 15, 310–332 (1969)
Brown, P., Jenkins, J.: Autoshaping of the pigeons key peck. J. exp. Anal. Behav. 11, 1–8 (1968)
Brown, K., Warburton, D. M.: Attenuation of stimulus sensitivity by scopolamine Psychon. Sci. 22, 297–298 (1971)
Cook, L., Catania, A. C.: Effects of drugs on avoidance and escape behaviour. Fed. Proc. 23, 818–835 (1964)
Cook, L., Kelleher, R. T.: Drug effects on the behaviour of animals. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 96, 315–335 (1962)
Ferster, C. B., Skinner, B. F.: Schedules of reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts 1975
Fry, W., Kelleher, R. T., Cook, L.: A mathematical index of performance on fixed interval schedules of reinforcement. J. exp. Anal. Behav. 3, 193–199 (1960)
Geller, I., Kulak, J. T., Seifter, J.: The effects of chlordiazepoxide and chlorpromazine on a punished discrimination. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 3, 374–385 (1962)
Hasegawa, Y., Ibuka, N., Iwahara, S.: Effects of chlordiazepoxide upon successive red-green discrimination responses in Japanese monkeys, Macaca fuscata. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 30, 89–94 (1973)
Herrnstein, R. J., Morse, W. H.: Effects of pentobarbital on intermittently reinforced behavior. Science 125, 929–931 (1957)
Iwasaki, T., Ezawa, K., Iwahara, S.: Differential effects of chlordiazepoxide on simultaneous and successive brightness discrimination learning in rats. Psychopharmacology 48, 75–78 (1976)
Jonckheere, A. R.: A test of significance for the relation between m ranking and k ranked categories. Brit. J. Statist. Psychol. 7, 93–100 (1954)
Kelleher, R. T., Morse, W. H.: Determinants of the specificity of behavioural effects of drugs. Ergebn. Physiol. 60, 1–56 (1968)
Richelle, M.: Action du chlordiazepoxide sur les régulations temporelles dans un comportement conditionmé chez le chat. Arch. int. Pharmacodyn. 40, 434–449 (1962)
Richelle, M.: Combined action of diazepam and d-amphetamine on fixed interval performance in cats. J. exp. Anal. Behav. 12, 989–998 (1969)
Richelle, M., Djahanguiri, B.: Effet d'un traitement prolongé au chlordiazepoxide sur un conditionnement temporel chez le rat. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 5, 106–114 (1964)
Robbins, T. W., Iversen, S. D.: Amphetamine-induced disruption of temporal discrimination by response disinhibition. Nature New Biol. 245, 191–192 (1973)
Sahgal, A., Iversen, S. D.: Colour preferences in the pigeon: a behavioural and psychopharmacological study. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 43, 175–179 (1975)
Sanger, D. J., Blackman, D. E.: Rate dependent effects of drugs on the variable interval behavior of rats. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 194, 343–350 (1975)
Siegel, S.: Nonparametric statistics. New York: McGraw-Hill 1956
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tye, N.C., Sahgal, A. & Iversen, S.D. Benzodiazepines and discrimination behaviour: Dissociation of response and sensory factors. Psychopharmacology 52, 191–194 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00439109
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00439109