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Results for “Conditioning, Operant”

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PubMed1985

Desmoid tumor complicating remobilization treatment for a chronic pain syndrome.

The criteria for recommending an operant conditioning program for a patient with chronic pain include definable pain behavior. A thorough investigation of all organic factors that may contribute to pain is usually made prior to such treatment. This report describes a patient with chronic pain and mild cognitive deficits related to a truck accident who insidiously developed an extra-abdominal desmoid tumor. Desmoid tumors, which may develop after trauma, are associated with incidental connective tissue anomalies. They can be initially mistaken for fibrocytic nodules because they have a distribution similar to that in fibromyalgia. This patient's painful tumor was diagnosed while he was participating in a remobilization program. Subsequent resection and irradiation adversely affected rehabilitation goals and reinforced the patient's conviction that all his complaints were organically based.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

[Position of behavior therapy among the psychiatric therapies].

In the fourth table, we have classified the most important measures of behaviour therapy: desensitivization, operating conditioning, aversive therapy and negative learning. These courses of action can play an important role in psychiatry and can enrich the therapeutic repertory through their rational use, placed in a general plan of treatment. Moreover, these methods are usually excluded from the tought theories and they do not see in the neurotic troubles a consequence of unconscious conflicts; these conflicts must become conscious again, but they must appear, then, as the result of the learning of bad behaviour.

Aversive Therapy↗

PubMed1985

[Behavioral approaches to communication disorders in schizophrenics].

Behavior therapy has used techniques of behavior modification based on the paradigm of operant conditioning to diminish some of the difficulties of communication present in schizophrenic patients. Individual programmes, then ward programs, have been applied to chronically institutionalized patients. They have emphasized the role of reinforcement and of social learning in behavioral approaches. More recently, these techniques have focused on the improvement of performance in social situations. As can be seen in the literature, modern behavior therapy is founded on a sociopsychological model in which environmental factors have a predominant role and focuses on maintaining behavioral improvement in the patient's day-to-day environment.

Behavior Therapy↗

PubMed1984

Noncontingent stimulation, stimulus familiarization, and subsequent learning in young infants.

2 experiments assessed the effects of prior noncontingent or familiarization experience on subsequent operant conditioning (kick-produced mobile movement) in young infants. In Experiment 1, infants received either long- or short-term noncontingent exposure to their own rotating mobile or simply viewed this mobile for several days while it remained motionless. In Experiment 2, long-term exposure was provided by the same novel mobile used for subsequent training. In both experiments, prior noncontingent experience did not interfere with subsequent conditioning. In Experiment 2, however, simple long-term familiarization with the training mobile precluded "evidence" of learning. The results indicated that infants develop expectancies regarding how stimuli occurring in particular contexts should behave based on their prior experiences with these stimuli.

Arousal↗

PubMed1982

Operant control and cat locomotion.

An operant conditioning history can produce highly uniform kinematic performances by cats on a motor-driven treadmill, but in the present work there was additional stimulus control such that the animals moved smoothly backward or forward on the belt, "startled," or reached for a food tray at the front of the chamber. The resulting responses were filmed and EMG records were taken from VL (vastus lateralis, a knee extensor) or IP (iliopsoas, a hip flexor) or both muscles. Both ipsilateral and bilateral responses were observed, and sometimes the change was restricted to just one portion of the VL or IP activity, showing precise moment-to-moment control. Forelimb reaching caused an early VL burst prior to touchdown, which may help understanding of extensor bursts that "anticipate" the contact of a limb. In other cases, an absence of control of hindlimb events was the major finding. No evidence was gained for vestibular or neck reflexes, since there was no response to large isolated head or neck excursions. Also, an animal might complete a full hindlimb step without any VL activity. It was concluded that acquired stimulus control could bring about marked separations of functional subdivisions of the step cycle.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

Variable-interval responding in the horse: a sensitive method of quantitating effects of centrally acting drugs.

An operant conditioning apparatus for studies in equine pharmacology was constructed. Horses interacted with this apparatus by breaking a light beam and were rewarded with 30 ml of oats. Horses readily learned to use this apparatus and were trained to respond on a variable-interval-60 schedule. With this schedule, there was no direct relationship between the rate of light beam breaking and the reward. Horses thus developed their own individual response rates (ie, light-beam breaking rates), and these rates remained stable at between 5 and 35 responses/min for each horse over a period of months. The effects of 2 drugs on this paradigm were tested. Reserpine (5 mg/horse, IV) depressed the response rate in all horses tested. This depression was maximal between 3 and 5 days after treatment and lasted for up to 10 days. After small doses of cocaine (0.01 mg/kg of body weight IV), the response rate of 1 horse was stimulated, whereas 1 mg of cocaine/kg was required for maximal stimulation of response rate in another horse. Larger doses of cocaine inhibited response. Variable-interval response was a sensitive method of measuring drug effects in the horse and allowed accurate quantitation of drug effects that were not detectable by clinical observation.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

[Assessment of anxiolytics (1)--Geller-type conflict tests].

The Geller-type conflict test and its modified tests, which are based on operant conditioning, have been applied for preclinical evaluation of the anxiolytic effect of drugs in parallel with the clinical use of benzodiazepines. Here, the author describes the experimental procedures of the Geller-type conflict test, including its modified tests, using mice and rats in detail. The effects of drugs, particularly benzodiazepines and 5-HT1A receptor agonists, on the established conflict behaviors in rats and mice are also presented.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

[Light and activity rhythm of Phaner furcifer (nocturnal malagasy Prosimian) in its natural environment (author's transl)].

The behavior of a nocturnal malagasy Prosimian (Phaner furcifer) in its natural environment has been studied in relation to its visual abilities and to the light cycle of the biotope. By photometric measurements (autonomous photomultiplier used with interferential filters) we attempted to connect the activity rhythms of the animals with the light level in the actual biotope (quantitative and qualitative approach). 10 Emergence from the nest occurs when the level of light becomes sufficiently low (about 1 lux). Return to the nest is observed as soon as the light level increases. The times of these behavioral activities therefore vary with the season. 20 Histological examination of the retina reveals only the presence of rods. The absolute sensitivity threshold (scotopic) measured by a technique of operant conditioning is comparable to that of man. 30 The level of light observed in nature is well above the visual threshold. The precision with which emergence from the nest occurs in relation to the ambiant light is surprising considering the absence of cones in the retina.

Activity Cycles↗

PubMed1994

Inter-operability of health services of the coalition forces: the Hungarian Military Hospital's experience in the Persian Gulf War.

The purpose of this paper is to study the inter-operability of allied-nation health service support systems working together in support of a combined operation. The Republic of Hungary contributed a military hospital to the Coalition Forces' Health Service Support in Operation Desert Storm. The experience of this hospital was unique. This hospital was incorporated into a western military health service system, which was alien to its organization and doctrines. The hospital's organization was based on the requirements of the former Warsaw Pact and followed Soviet doctrine. The author summarizes the experience of medical professionals and non-medical operational conditions during Operation Desert Storm and highlights the similarities and differences of the two systems. He also makes recommendations to promote military medical inter-operability.

Health Services↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Periodicity pitch perception of retarded children.

In order to expand the body of information concerning auditory function in the presence of the generalized cortical dysfunction associated with severe mental retardation, the discrimination of periodicity pitch signals by nonverbal severely retarded children and adults of normal intelligence was examined using an operant conditioning adaptation of the psychophysical method of constant stimulus differences. The periodicity pitch difference limens (DLs) based on changes in repetition rate were compared with frequency DLs obtained from low (150 Hz) and high frequency (2200 Hz) sinusoids. Periodicity pitch signals were generated by gating a 2200-Hz sinusoid over a range from 141 to 159 pulses per sec and passing the signals through a narrow band-pass filter to ensure no low frequency energy was present. The DLs (75% correct discriminations) were computed from the three types of discrimination performance curves. Standard errors of the means were small and retarded subjects showed good test-retest reliability. The results indicated that the simple and complex pitch discrimination abilities for both normal and retarded subjects were similar.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

The oral antihypertensive activity of the methylated derivatives of phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide.

We have reported previously that phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide and its derivatives are excellent substrates for dopamine-beta-monooxygenase and produce an antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats after i.p. administration. In the studies reported herein, we demonstrate that alpha-methyl-phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide and 4-hydroxy-alpha-methyl-phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide, the methylated and hydroxymethylated derivatives of phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide, respectively, decrease mean arterial pressure in conscious, unrestrained spontaneously hypertensive rats after p.o. administration. This antihypertensive effect after p.o. administration occurs without the undesirable transient rise in blood pressure observed previously after i.p. administration. Results using the methodology of food-reinforced operant conditioned behavior are consistent with the interpretation that the ring hydroxylated derivatives, 4-hydroxy-phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide and 4-hydroxy-alpha-methyl-phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide, do not penetrate into the central nervous system. This finding supports our contention that the primary site of action for the antihypertensive activity of the sulfides may be the peripheral adrenergic nerve ending. In view of the current high degree of interest in chiral development, the enantiomeric specificity of the antihypertensive activity of alpha-methyl-phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide was also evaluated. Results from these studies demonstrate that the (S)-enantiomer of alpha-methyl-phenyl-2-aminoethyl sulfide is more effective in lowering blood pressure after p.o. administration than the (R)-enantiomer. The implications of our findings in terms of the mechanism of action of these compounds are discussed.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The management of drug-resistant, persistent and unpleasant auditory hallucinations.

This article attempts to give an overview of the main cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approaches in order to reduce persistent, unpleasant and drug-resistant auditory hallucinations. These procedures are based on operant conditioning principles and cognitive self-management techniques. A brief case history is reported to illustrate the therapeutic interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The evolution of an operant ecologist.

George Collier has maintained a research program concerned with the controls of eating for forty-three years. In the first ten years, Collier approached the problem within the operant conditioning framework proposed by Skinner. This consisted of the intrameal analysis of the reflex strength of a food-rewarded operant in short sessions in food-deprived rats. At the end of the first decade, Collier shifted his attack on the problem by studying the ecological control of meal patterns by procurement and consummatory costs in free-feeding rats. This paper analyzes the reasons for this apparently abrupt evolution from operant conditioning to operant ecology and concludes that they accumulated over about ten years and were intellectual and personal, not technical or professional. This paper also summarizes the major achievements of the research program of operant ecology, notes some emerging problems with economic explanations of ecological controls, and argues that Collier's robust and quantitative behavioral results are ripe for physiological analysis.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Power generation in fed-batch microbial fuel cells as a function of ionic strength, temperature, and reactor configuration.

Power density, electrode potential, coulombic efficiency, and energy recovery in single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were examined as a function of solution ionic strength, electrode spacing and composition, and temperature. Increasing the solution ionic strength from 100 to 400 mM by adding NaCl increased power output from 720 to 1330 mW/m2. Power generation was also increased from 720 to 1210 mW/m2 by decreasing the distance between the anode and cathode from 4to 2 cm. The power increases due to ionic strength and electrode spacing resulted from a decrease in the internal resistance. Power output was also increased by 68% by replacing the cathode (purchased from a manufacturer) with our own carbon cloth cathode containing the same Pt loading. The performance of conventional anaerobic treatment processes, such as anaerobic digestion, are adversely affected by temperatures below 30 degrees C. However, decreasing the temperature from 32 to 20 degrees C reduced power output by only 9%, primarily as a result of the reduction of the cathode potential. Coulombic efficiencies and overall energy recovery varied as a function of operating conditions, but were a maximum of 61.4 and 15.1% (operating conditions of 32 degrees C, carbon paper cathode, and the solution amended with 300 mM NaCl). These results, which demonstrate that power densities can be increased to over 1 W/m2 by changing the operating conditions or electrode spacing, should lead to further improvements in power generation and energy recovery in single-chamber, air-cathode MFCs.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed1978

Analysis of rocking behavior.

Operant conditioning techniques were applied to the study of stereotyped body-rocking movements. Six mentally retarded children were tested individually in a fully automated situation under the following conditions: (a) free operant baseline; (b) intense auditory stimulation; (c) variable-interval (VI) and fixed-ratio (FR) reinforcement schedules; (d) differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL); (e) differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO); and (f) noncontingent reinforcement. The results indicated: (a) intense auditory stimulation increased the rate of rocking movements in four of six subjects; (b) VI and FR schedules generated curves that are representative of these schedules; (c) DRL schedules decelerated high-rate rocking; (d) DRO schedules eliminated high-rate rocking; (e) noncontigent reinforcement increased variability and resulted in decreased rate of responding. In conclusion, the data support the hypothesis that body-rocking movements in the mentally retarded are an operant and reflect the established characteristics of reinforcement schedules and operant controls.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed2002

Operant reward learning in Aplysia: neuronal correlates and mechanisms.

Operant conditioning is a form of associative learning through which an animal learns about the consequences of its behavior. Here, we report an appetitive operant conditioning procedure in Aplysia that induces long-term memory. Biophysical changes that accompanied the memory were found in an identified neuron (cell B51) that is considered critical for the expression of behavior that was rewarded. Similar cellular changes in B51 were produced by contingent reinforcement of B51 with dopamine in a single-cell analog of the operant procedure. These findings allow for the detailed analysis of the cellular and molecular processes underlying operant conditioning.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

A classical conditioning procedure for the hearing assessment of multiply handicapped persons.

The present study evaluated the viability of a classical conditioning procedure with an air puff as unconditioned stimulus for the hearing assessment of multiply handicapped children and adolescents. All subjects were also exposed to operant conditioning, which consisted of a modified visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) procedure or involved edible reinforcement contingent on a reaching response (for blind subjects). The findings indicate that the classical conditioning procedure was successful with 21 of the 23 subjects, whereas operant conditioning succeeded with 15 of the subjects. Thresholds obtained with classical conditioning were mostly equal to or within 10 dB of those obtained with operant conditioning and also matched previously available hearing estimates. These findings seem to suggest that the classical procedure can be a useful behavioral alternative for audiological assessment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1977

Baroreflex sensitivity during operant blood pressure conditioning.

Baroreflex sensitivity was measured in baboons operantly conditioned to increase their diastolic blood pressure in daily, 12-hr sessions, by using the extent of increases in interpulse interval per unit of increase in systolic pressure after intravenous phenylephrine injection as an index of baroreflex sensitivity. Following training, baroreflex sensitivity increases averaging 32% were observed before and after the 12-hr conditioning sessions. During the conditioning sessions, however, consistent diastolic blood pressure elevations averaging 17% (14 mmHg) were accompanied by significant decreases in baroreflex sensitivity averaging 44% relative to the increased "before" and "after" sensitivity levels. The results suggest that changes in baroreflex sensitivity participate in operantly conditioned blood pressure changes.

Animals↗