The partial reinforcement extinction effect after treatment with chlordiazepoxide

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Behavioral Psychology

Background:

• Anti-anxiety drugs, such as chlordiazepoxide (CDP), are known to affect learning and behavior.
• The partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) is a phenomenon where behaviors learned under partial reinforcement are more resistant to extinction than those learned under continuous reinforcement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDP) on the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) in rats.
• To determine if CDP's effects can be predicted by those of sodium amylobarbitone (SA).
• To assess if CDP's effects are consistent with the conditioned-frustration hypothesis.

Main Methods:

• Rats were trained in a straight alley for food reward under continuous or partial reinforcement schedules.
• Chlordiazepoxide (CDP) was administered to rats during acquisition, extinction, or both phases.
• Resistance to extinction was measured by the number of trials before the rats ceased responding.

Main Results:

• CDP administered during both acquisition and extinction reduced the PREE.
• CDP administered only during extinction increased resistance to extinction in both continuous and partial reinforcement groups.
• The effects of CDP were similar to those of sodium amylobarbitone (SA).

Conclusions:

• The findings support the prediction of CDP's effects based on SA's known effects.
• CDP's influence on the PREE is consistent with the conditioned-frustration hypothesis.
• CDP appears to attenuate responses to conditioned frustrative stimuli, impacting extinction resistance.