Abstract
Rats were induced to consume large quantities of alcohol. Periodically they were withdrawn from alcohol, then tested for alcohol consumption. Across 12-h withdrawal tests, drinking latency progressively declined and consumption remained high. After 120-h, latencies were longer and consumption was low. This suggests that reinforcement via withdrawal discomfort reduction may be involved in maintaining alcohol consumption.
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This research was supported in part by grants for the Center for Research in Human Learning, University of Minnesota, from the National Science Foundation (BNS77-22075), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HO-Ol136), and the Graduate School, University of Minnesota.
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Trapold, M.A., Sullivan, H.L. Awithdrawal-related reinforcing effect of alcohol. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 13, 327–329 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336885
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336885