Download Introduction to Behavioral Pharmacology

Research Design
Behavioral Pharmacology
Experimental Research Design
Experimental control is essential in
behavioral pharmacology research.
– Independent Variables
– Dependent Variables
The type of experimental design may
depends on the type of dependent
variable being measured.
– Within Subjects Designs
– Between Subjects Designs
Experimental Design
Importance of Placebo Controls
– Placebo Effects
Three-Groups Designs
Studying Drugs & Behavior
Psychopharmacology
– psychology + pharmacology
OR
– psychiatry + pharmacology
Behavioral Pharmacology
– behavior + pharmacology
Psychopharmacology OR
Behavioral Pharmacology
The distinction is not always clear.
The term “psychopharmacology” was
coined a few decades before the science
of behavior analysis was developed.
– Some people distinguish these specializations
based on the accepted methodology to study
drug effects. (i.e., a broader range of methods
in psychopharmacology.)
– Others distinguish them based on emphasis
of research questions.
– Others don’t distinguish them at all.
Behavioral Pharmacology
A specialization of behavioral science
that applies the methods and concepts
of behavior analysis to explain the
behavioral effects of drugs.
– Behavior Analysis is a unique natural
science approach to study behavior and a
philosophy of science that was popularized
by B.F. Skinner.
Science of Behavior Analysis
Environmental events are emphasized
because:
– such variables clearly influence behavior
– they are directly observable
– we have the technology to study them
– they are subject to direct manipulation
Behavior Analysis
a natural science emphasizing effects of
environmental variables on behavior
concerned with behavior in its own right,
not as an indication of events at another
level of analysis
a proven practical approach to deal with a
wide variety of behavioral problems
(including drug use and abuse)
Behaviorism in the Early 20th Century
Ivan Pavlov
– Respondent conditioning
– Some of Pavlov’s early work examined drug
effects on respondent conditioning.
– This work preceded the formal development of
Behavioral Pharmacology.
John Watson
– Introduced Behaviorism
– First to put forth a strong natural science
approach for psychology
– Attempted to explain behavior primarily in
terms of respondent conditioning
– Methodological Behaviorism (deals only with
publicly observable events)
Radical Behaviorism
Philosophical Position Adopted and
Promoted by B.F. Skinner
– conceptualizes behavior as involving both
public and private events
– assigns no special status to private events
– Private events (e.g., thoughts, feelings) do
not cause overt behavior:
they are stimuli that function similar to directly
observable stimuli
they are difficult to study
Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Essential features of EAB Research
JEAB (founded in 1958) continues to be an important
outlet for EAB research
Uses of EAB in Behavioral
Pharmacology
Main Assumptions
– Behavior is important in its own right.
– An intensive study of a few subjects is a fruitful
research strategy.
– Graphic analysis of data is desirable.
– Direct and repeated measures are invaluable.
– Variable data are best dealt with by isolating and
controlling responsible extraneous variables.
– Studies of nonhuman subjects under controlled
experimental conditions can be of great value to
understand variables that control human behavior.
Historical Landmarks in Behavioral Pharmacology
Research Areas in Behavioral
Pharmacology
Behavioral Loci
– what aspects of behavior are altered by the drug
(e.g., reaction time)
Behavioral Mechanisms of Action
– the stimulus functions of the drug; the effects of the
drug on the capacity of other stimuli to control
behavior
Variables that Modulate Drug’s Behavioral
Effects
– e.g., other stimuli, alternative reinforcers etc…
Measuring Psychoactive Drug
Effects on Behavior
Levels of Arousal
– EEG activity and Sleep
– Arousal and Mood States
– Arousal and Activity
Measuring Performance in Humans
Perception
– Psychophysical measures of threshold
absolute and differential thresholds
critical frequency at fusion test
Cognitive Performance and Intellectual
Functioning
– vigilance, attention, learning & memory tasks
mental arithmetic
digit symbol substitution test
Motor Performance
– reaction time, hand-eye coordination
e.g. pursuit rotor test
Measuring Behavior in Nonhumans
Unconditioned Behavior
– Spontaneous motor activity
measured in an open field apparatus
– Stereotypic behaviors
Measuring Behavior in Nonhumans
Respondent Conditioning
– Conditioned Place Preference
– Conditioned Taste Aversion
Measuring Behavior in Nonhumans
Operant Conditioning
– emphasis on antecedents, responses,
consequences, and contingencies of
reinforcement
– the process of modifying some characteristic
of behavior by altering its consequences
Schedules of Reinforcement
Ratio Schedules vs. Interval Schedules
– Some drugs have been shown to exhibit “rate
dependency”
– e.g., Stimulants increase responding under FI
schedules but suppress responding under FR
schedules
Escape-Avoidance Tasks
– Some drugs (e.g., anxiolytics) block avoidance
behavior without affecting escape behavior.
Punishment Schedules
– Responding maintained by appetitive rewards (e.g.,
food) may be suppressed by punishing stimuli (e.g.,
electric shocks).
– Some drugs increase behavior that has been
suppressed by punishment (e.g., CNS depressants)
Other Common Operant Procedures
in Behavioral Pharmacology
Drug Discrimination
– analyzing drugs according to
their stimulus properties
– tool for classifying novel drugs
– determining neurochemical
mechanisms of drug action
Drug Self-Administration
– analyzing drugs for reinforcing
properties
– common model to assess
abuse liability