Similarities in the rate-altering effects of white noise and cocaine.
White noise can flatten fixed-interval response curves the same way cocaine does.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave rats fixed-interval schedules. Some rats got cocaine before the session. Others got loud white noise during the session.
They watched how fast each group pressed the lever across the 60-second interval.
What they found
Both cocaine and white noise flattened the usual scallop shape. Low-rate rats sped up. High-rate rats slowed down.
In the end, both groups settled on the same middle speed.
How this fits with other research
Gardner et al. (1977) saw cocaine push FI rates higher than food. L et al. now show the drug also squeezes different rates toward the middle.
Nevin (1969) described the neat two-state FI pattern: long pause, then sharp jump. White noise and cocaine smear that pattern out.
Fay (1979) found tiny pauses inside the interval. The flattening effect may hide those fine ripples.
Why it matters
You now know that loud noise can distort FI performance almost like a drug. If your clinic uses FI schedules, shield the room from sudden sounds. A vacuum, bell, or slammed door could flatten the response curve you want to see.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The effects of white noise and cocaine on squirrel monkeys' fixed-interval responding were compared to determine whether the presentation of an exteroceptive stimulus could produce rate-altering effects of the type typically observed following drug administration. To investigate the relationship between control response rate and response rate in the presence of drug or noise, the monkeys were trained under a fixed-interval 300-s stimulus-shock termination schedule in order to generate a wide range of local response rates. A light illuminated the experimental chamber during the interval and, after 300 s elapsed, a lever press during a 3-s period terminated the light and precluded the occurrence of a harmless electrical stimulus that otherwise was delivered at the end of the 3-s period. Each interval was followed by a 30-s timeout during which the chamber was darkened and responses had no consequences. Following intramuscular administration of cocaine, different rates of responding characteristic of control performance converged toward a common rate and, at an appropriately high dose, response rate during the fixed interval became more uniform. When white noise was presented continuously during a given session, different response rates also converged toward a common rate and, at an appropriate intensity, response rate became more uniform. Interactions were obtained when cocaine and white noise were presented together, indicating the possibility of a common behavioral mechanism of action. The results suggest that rate-altering drug effects may be, in part, a result of the ability of drugs to produce nonspecific stimulus effects similar to those observed for exteroceptive stimuli.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1986 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1986.46-381