Abstract
A dose-response analysis of the effects of ethanol on various aspects of successive discrimination performance in rats was made to assess any differential sensitivity of such behaviors to the effects of the drug. At least four sequential phases of the drug’s effect on performance were indicated: (a) a general and significant facilitatory effect on all response measures at the 0.5-g/kg dose, (b) no significant effect on any behavior at the 1.0-g/kg dose, (c) a significant depression of responding on S+ trials and during the intertrial interval concomitant with continued facilitation of responses on S− trials at the 1.5-g/kg dose, and finally (d) a depression of all response measures at the 2.5-g/kg dose. These data were discussed in terms of a model in which ethanol depresses operant response inhibitory processes at lower dose levels than it depresses processes involved in response initiation or execution.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Barry, H., III, Wagner, S. A., & Miller, N. E. Effects of ethanol and amobarbital on performance inhibited by experimental extinction. Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology, 1962, 55, 464–468.
Blough, D. S. Technique for studying the effects of drugs on discrimination in the pigeon. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1956, 65, 334–344.
Dews, P. B. The effects of pentobarbital, methamphetamine, and scopolamine on performances in pigeons involving discriminations. Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 1966, 115, 380–389.
Grossman, S. P., & Miller N. E. Control of stimulus change in the evaluation of alcohol and chlorpromazine as fear-reducing drugs. Psychopharmacologia, 1961, 2, 342–351.
Holloway, F. A. State-dependent effects of ethanol on active and passive avoidance learning. Psychopharmacologia (Berlin), 1972, 25, 238–261.
Holloway, F. A., & Vardiman D. R. Dose-response effects of ethanol on appetitive behaviors. Psychonomic Science, 1971, 24, 218–220.
Holloway, F. A., & Wansley R. A. Factors governing the vulnerability of DRL operant performance to the effects of ethanol. Psychopharmacologia (Berlin), 1973, 28, 351–362.
Laties, V. G., & Weiss B. Effects of alcohol on timing behavior. Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology, 1962, 55, 85–91.
Mello, N. K. Some aspects of the behavioral pharmacology of alcohol. In D. H. Efron et al (Eds.), Psychopharmacology: A review of progress, 1957–1967. PHS Publication No. 1836. Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968. Pp. 787–809.
Moskowitz, H. The effect of alcohol upon the differential brightness threshold. Psychopharmacologia (Berlin), 1967, 10, 354–360.
Sauerland, E. K., Knauss, T., & Clemente C. D. Effects of ethyl alcohol on orbital-cortically induced reflex inhibition in the cat. Brain Research, 1967, 6, 164–180.
Schalock, K. M., & Wollen, K. A. The immediate and long-term effect on runway performance of reversing ethanol and dextrose conditions. Psychonomic Science, 1966, 4, 113–114.
Terrace, H. S. Errorless discrimination learning in the pigeon: Effects of chlorpromazine and imipramine. Science, 1963, 140, 318–319.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported in part by Public Health Service Grant MH-14702 awarded to the senior author’s project at the Oklahoma Center for Alcohol-Related Studies.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Holloway, F.A., Wansley, R.A. Differential sensitivity of different discrimination behaviors to the effects of ethanol. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 2, 159–162 (1973). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329233
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329233