Abstract
We present two experiments designed to examine further the reported effect of the steriod hormone testosterone on persistence. Persistence was here defined in terms of difficulty of shifting from one discrimination habit to a new one in which previously relevant dimensions now were irrelevant. In the first study, adult male rats injected with a moderate dosage level of testosterone showed increased persistence compared with oil-injected and androsteroneinjected groups and with animals receiving a high dosage of testosterone. In a second study, male rats injected with the antiandrogen cyproterone acetate showed a reduction in persistence compared with controls. In both experiments, arousal levels were measured by nonreinforced barpress rates during and between trials. In neither study were differences in arousal level relevant to the drug effects. The results are in general agreement with those of other workers using chicks and mice.
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The above research was supported by a grant from the Queen’s Advisory Research Committee, Life Sciences Subcommittee. The authors thank Dr. N. L. Freedman of the Psychology Department and Professor H. Jellinck of the Biochemistry Department for useful advice.
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Thompson, W.R., Wright, J.S. “Persistence” in rats: Effects of testosterone. Psychobiology 7, 291–294 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03326643
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03326643