Some effects of chlordiazepoxide and d-amphetamine on response force during punished responding in rats

Rats were reinforced with water on a continuous reinforcement schedule and were also punished with electric shock for every fifth response applied to a silent, isometric, force-sensing manipulandum. Oral doses of chlordiazepoxide (3.0, 9.0, 27.0 mg/kg) increased both conventional rate and force of punished responding. In contrast, d-amphetamine (0.8, 1.6, 3.2 mg/kg, by gavage) further decreased conventional rate and force of response, but this latter drug increased the rate of recorded responses that were lower than the 15-g force criterion for response consequences. The results for chlordiazepoxide are viewed in terms of its anxiolytic properties, while the d-amphetamine data appear to support a theory of amphetamine effects based on the concept of stereotyped behaviors.