A Variable-Interval Punishment Procedure for Assessing Anxiolytic Effects of Drugs

Abstract
Laboratory techniques for assessing the behavioral effects of anxiolytic drugs often involve the use of a punishing procedure and rats or other species as subjects. Some aspects of conventional experimental designs, however, make difficult interpretation of the drugs' effects. The present experiment made use of a modified punishment with rats, which was designed to reduce interpretative difficulties. Both food and shock presentations were scheduled at similar, though independent, variable intervals. Chlordiazepoxide and amobarbital were found to produce dose-related decreases in the suppression of responding produced by punishment.