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Phencyclidine discrimination in the pigeon using color tracking under second-order schedule
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|January 1, 1982
Summary
Pigeons learned to differentiate key colors after receiving phencyclidine or saline. This drug discrimination study utilized a second-order schedule for efficient response generation, offering advantages over older methods.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral pharmacology
- Animal models of drug effects
Background:
- Drug discrimination studies are crucial for understanding how psychoactive substances affect behavior.
- Traditional methods may not efficiently generate the response rates needed for robust discrimination training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To train pigeons to discriminate between drug states induced by phencyclidine and saline.
- To evaluate a novel second-order schedule procedure for drug discrimination research.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were trained under a second-order schedule of reinforcement.
- Discriminative stimuli (key colors) were associated with either phencyclidine or saline injections.
- Responses were recorded based on key color tracking.
Main Results:
- Pigeons successfully learned to track different key colors contingent on pre-session injections.
- The second-order schedule facilitated rapid response generation prior to reinforcement.
Conclusions:
- A second-order schedule is an effective procedure for studying drug discrimination in pigeons.
- This method provides a more efficient alternative to traditional drug discrimination paradigms.