PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - DEWS, PETER B.
TI  - STUDIES ON BEHAVIOR. I. DIFFERENTIAL SENSITIVITY TO PENTOBARBITAL OF PECKING PERFORMANCE IN PIGEONS DEPENDING ON THE SCHEDULE OF REWARD
DP  - 1955 Apr 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 393--401
VI  - 113
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/113/4/393.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/113/4/393.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1955 Apr 01; 113
AB  - Pigeons working in a Skinner box developed different rates of pecking depending on the schedule of reward. When every 50th peck was rewarded (FR5O) the rate of response was high and constant. When the first peck after an interval of fifteen minutes was rewarded (15'FI) the average rate of pecking was low and there was a steady increase in rate through the interval. Pecking of the birds on 15'FI was markedly reduced by doses of pentobarbital which had no effect, or caused an increase in rate of pecking of the same birds working on FR5O. This differential sensitivity to depression by pentobarbital of performance on different schedules shows that by use of these techniques a behavioral effect of a drug can be detected and measured under circumstances when the drug does not affect the physical ability of the pigeon to execute a peck. © 1955, by The Williams & Wilkins Company