Abstract
The present experiment tested the hypothesis that the taste of morphine would become a secondary reinforcer for rats made physically dependent on morphine by large, rapid intravenous injections. Rats made dependent by such injections and then withdrawn licked a dilute morphine solution more during a 30-sec licking period than did nondependent rats. A second experiment indicated that rats made physically dependent on morphine by 8 days of rapid injections licked a morphine solution more during withdrawal than did rats made dependent by 8 days of slow infusions. The results supported the preliminary hypothesis.
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This report is based on a thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Mississippi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MA degree. The author is indebted to Dr. William F. Crowder for his advice and consultation throughout the course of the investigation, as well as to Dr. J. B. Morris and Dr. B. G. Tate. This research was supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service Grant MH 13570 from the National Institute of Mental Health to Dr. William F. Crowder.
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Coussens, W.R. Imparting reinforcing property to the taste of morphine through morphine injections. Psychon Sci 28, 134–136 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328685
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328685