Drug Effects on Speed of Conflict Resolution in the Skinnerbox

Summary

An approach-avoidance conflict test was designed to measure speed of conflict resolution in rats. In a Skinnerbox explicit approach (light) and avoidance (tone) stimuli were present to induce the conflict. Dependent on the intensities of both light and tone the animal was rewarded or punished after a criterion leverhold. Because the animal had complete control over the presentation of stimuli and reinforcers animals kept responding and the effects of several drugs on speed of conflict resolution could be measured. As expected, diazepam increased the number of punished leverholds and amphetamine showed an anorectic effect in a diminished number of responses on food rewarded leverholds. However, both FG7142, a putative anxiogenic, and haloperidol — sometimes claimed to be anxiolytic — had no specific influence. It is claimed that the paradigm differs essentially from other conflict paradigms in that it measures effects of chronic conflict, fast acquisition and extinction of conflict behaviour, and potentially could reveal putative anxiolytics, different from those revealed by paradigms measuring acute conflict.