Biomedical subjects

Steven Glautier

Publications and source records attributed to Steven Glautier.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Dissociation of wanting and liking for alcohol in humans: a test of the incentive-sensitisation theory.

RATIONALE: Incentive sensitisation theory (IST) claims that the mechanism of reward is comprised of separate neurobiological systems of wanting and liking, that dependent drug use occurs as a result of sensitisation of the system controlling wanting, and that the two systems can be dissociated. OBJECTIVE: To test the IST prediction that wanting and liking for alcohol can be dissociated in humans. METHODS: Measures of wanting and liking for alcohol were obtained in three experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether liking for alcohol was associated with levels of wanting, as indexed by self-reported weekly alcohol intake. Experiments 2 and 3 also assessed the association between liking and wanting but in these experiments wanting was also indexed by alcohol consumption in the laboratory. Experiment 2 increased wanting for alcohol using an alcohol priming dose to determine whether liking would be similarly affected. Experiment 3 reduced liking for alcohol by adulterating drinks with Tween to see whether wanting would also be reduced. RESULTS: Little evidence for an association between liking and wanting for alcohol was found in Experiments 1-3 but, collapsing across all experiments, a weak positive correlation between liking and wanting was found. However, in Experiment 2, wanting was increased by the alcohol priming dose whereas liking was not and in Experiment 3 liking was reduced without a concurrent reduction in wanting. CONCLUSIONS: Although correlations between wanting and liking can be observed these results support the contention of the IST that wanting and liking for alcohol can be dissociated in human participants.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2004

Asymmetry of generalization decrement in causal learning.

Two experiments required volunteers to learn which of various "planes" caused high levels of pollution. Novel test items were then rated as causes of pollution. Items created by adding novel features were rated at the same level as that of the original training items but items created by removing features received reduced ratings. This asymmetry of generalization decrement was not predicted by a well-known configural model of stimulus representation (Pearce, 1987, 1994) but was predicted by a recently proposed model of stimulus representation, the replaced-elements model (Brandon, Vogel, & Wagner, 2000).

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Measures and models of nicotine dependence: positive reinforcement.

This paper addresses the problem of assessing nicotine dependence. The main objective is to develop theory-led suggestions for measures that will be relevant in the early phases of tobacco use, as well as in established smokers. Theoretical models of addiction falling into the general class of 'positive reinforcement theories' were identified and reviewed. From this review a number of drug effects and patterns of behaviour were distilled and categorized as either vulnerability or dependence indicators. A comparison of those features with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) diagnostic systems shows that neither system includes detailed assessment of vulnerability indicators. It is argued that measurement of vulnerability indicators, in addition to dependence indicators, may add to the predictive validity of assessments carried out in early career tobacco users, especially where there is limited evidence of established dependence. In addition, it is suggested that examination of measures that differentiate a subgroup of early career smokers termed 'rapid accelerators' may prove profitable and enable identification of the key parameters of nicotine reinforcement.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disord↗

PubMed2002

Outcome and cue properties modulate blocking.

Participants saw a series of situations in which a cue (a light appearing at a certain position) could be followed by an outcome (a drawing of a tank that exploded) and were afterwards asked to rate the likelihood of the outcome in the presence of the cue. In Experiments 1 and 2, the compound cues AT and KL were always followed by the outcome (AT+, KL+). During an elemental phase that either preceded or followed the compound phase, Cue A was also paired with the outcome (A+). Cue T elicited a lower rating than Cues K and L when cues were described as being weapons but not when the cues were said to be indicators. The magnitude of this blocking effect was also influenced by whether the outcome occurred to a maximal or submaximal extent. Experiment 3 replicated the effect of cue instructions on blocking (A+, AT+) but showed that cue instructions had no impact on reduced overshadowing (B-, BT+). The results shed new light on previous findings and support probabilistic contrast models of human contingency judgements.

Cues↗

PubMed2002

Spatial separation of target and competitor cues enhances blocking of human causality judgements.

Three experiments were carried out. Each required subjects to make judgements about the causal status of cues following a two-stage blocking procedure. In Stage 1 a competitor cue was consistently paired with an outcome, and in Stage 2 the competitor continued to be paired with the outcome but was accompanied by a target cue. It was predicted that causal judgements for the target would be reduced by the presence of the competitor. In Experiments 1 and 2 the blocking procedure was implemented as a computer simulation of a card game during which subjects had to learn which cards produced the best payouts. The cues that subjects used to make their judgement were colours and symbols that appeared on the backs of the cards. When the target and competitor cues appeared on the same card blocking effects did not emerge, but when they appeared as part of different cards blocking effects were found. Thus, spatial separation of target and competitor cues appeared to facilitate blocking. Experiment 3 replicated the blocking result using spatially separated target and competitor cues.

Adolescent↗