0000000000214655
AUTHOR
Dolores Castano
Recall of common and uncommon words from pure and mixed lists
Recall of high- and low-frequency words in the conventional free recall paradigm was compared with recall of the same words when subjects were required to count backward before and after the presentation of each word. The addition of this distractor task was associated with a reduction in the high-frequency advantage otherwise found with pure lists containing only high- or low-frequency words. This finding is attributed to the disruption of organizational processes. In contrast, the low-frequency advantage found with conventional presentation of mixed lists, containing high- and low-frequency words, was not reduced by distraction. These findings indicate that the frequency effects obtained …
<Pheromones> and behaviour of rodents and primates
Abstract This paper reviews the concept of the ≪pheromone≫ as applied to behavioural studies on mammals with particular emphasis on rodents and primates. It is concluded that although the olfactory sense is very important in many representatives of these orders, the term pheromone is often used too uncritically in such species. Odours may certainly change behaviour but: (a) it is difficult to identify complex specific chemicals underlying such effects; (b) the response often depends on the nature and experiences of the recipient animal; and (c) many behaviours in such animals are modulated by a variety of sensory inputs. Perhaps ≪sociochemical communication≫ would be a better term to apply …
The Potential of Antiestrogens as Centrally-Acting Antihostility Agents: Recent Animal Data
Recent studies suggest that motivations for certain forms of masculine behavior including social aggression are mediated by central estrogen receptors. Two studies using antiestrogens in rodent species were performed. Intact male LH rats were given Tamoxifen or vehicle for 4 or 8 days. The three possible pairings were videotaped for 60 min. Intact male OF1 mice were given CI-680 or vehicle over 25 days. Similar pairings were carried out but some CI-680 or vehicle animals were paired with anosmic opponents. Encounters were videotaped for 10 min. In both experiments evidence was obtained that the antiestrogen markedly reduced time allocated to offense. Any variations in defense were a consequ…
Studies on the Effects of the Antiandrogen Cyproterone Acetate on Social Encounters Between Pairs of Male Mice
An attempt was made in two experiments to reinvestigate the effects of the antiandrogen cyproterone acetate (CA) on mouse social behavior in a variety of ethologically-assessed paired encounters. The data confirm that CA reduces offense (threat and attack) in animals when both subjects receive the material but that CA has no such action in other pairings. This suggests that CA's major suppressive effect on "hostility" is expressed in mice via a reduction in "attack-promoting" pheromone production. Indeed, there was evidence in the more chronic study that CA, could augment (via a central mechanism?) offense in subjects paired with docile anosmic opponents. Changes in defense were largely res…
Haloperidol does not antagonize the effects of stress on aggressive behaviour in mice.
The possibility that antipsychotic drugs antagonize the behavioural effects of stress on agonistic behaviour has been explored. Male mice of the OF.1 strain were subjected to the following treatments: 1) Immobilization stress (ten or twenty minutes in duration), 2) haloperidol (three doses) and 3) immobilization stress (ten minutes) plus haloperidol. Individually housed experimental animals confronted standard opponents (anosmic animals) in ten-minute encounters in a neutral cage. Encounters were videotaped and behaviour evaluated, assigning times allocated by subjects to eleven broad behavioural categories. The data show that stress markedly decreases attack behaviour, but haloperidol does…
Studies on effects of tamoxifen (ICI 46474) on agonistic encounters between pairs of intact mice.
The anti-estrogen tamoxifen (Tam), which has been shown to dramatically suppress offensive behavior in male rats without markedly influencing other aspects of the social encounter, was tested for its effectiveness in mice. TO strain albino mice were given control injections or 50 or 100 micrograms of Tam for 4 or 8 days. Subsequently, mice were tested in pairs (for a particular dose and treatment duration) in which both animals received Tam, one animal received Tam and one saline, or both animals received saline control injections. Ten-minute videotaped encounters were analyzed in terms of total times allocated to nonsocial investigation, social investigation, offense, defense, sexual activ…