Effects of naloxone on acquisition and extinction of jump-up avoidance behavior in rats

Two experiments were carried out to assess the effects of the opioid antagonist, naloxone, on the acquisition and extinction of shock avoidance by rats in the jump-up apparatus. In Experiment 1 naloxone pretreatment facilitated acquisition but had no effect on extinction of avoidance behavior. In the second experiment the effect of naloxone on acquisition was replicated and in addition, it was shown that naloxone enhanced freezing when a response prevention or flooding procedure was introduced. Again naloxone failed to alter the course of extinction, nor did it interact with the effects of flooding which, by itself, facilitated extinction. The results suggest that naloxone's effects are limited to increasing the functional intensity of the US, and provide further support for the dissociation between extinction of avoidance behavior and other indices of fear.     

Cultural and sex differences in touch avoidance

250 male and female respondents from American, Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and Far Eastern cultures completed a self-report measure of touch-avoidance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated factors for opposite-sex and same-sex touch-avoidance. These factors were used as dependent variables in a 4 x 2 (culture by sex) multivariate analysis of variance which yielded a significant interaction of culture by sex on opposite-sex touch-avoidance and a main effect of the respondents' sex on same-sex touch-avoidance.     

Interhemispheric transfer of extinction of the active avoidance reaction in rats.

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) was employed in rats to study the lateralization of extinction of a jumping avoidance reaction. Under unilateral CSD, 181 nonreinforced trials were needed to extinguish the avoidance reaction acquired in three 100-trial sessions of intact-brain training. During a second extinction session, either with the same or with the contralateral hemisphere depressed, the mean number of trials to the extinction criterion (9/10) was 39 (n = 12) or 186 (n = 15), respectively. Five extinction trials performed with the brain intact 1 hr before extinction with contralateral CSD decreased the number of trials to extinction of 98 (n = 11). Thus, extinction of active avoidance can be lateralized and interhemispherically transferred in the same way as acquisition of this habit.     

The development and the extinction of hyperthermia induced by conditioned avoidance behavior in rats

Hyperthermia was observed at the end of each conditioning session in rats trained to avoid electric shocks by jumping on a platform. The temperature rise was also observed after the conditioned behavioral response was well established and was elicited even in the absence of shocks. There was no tendency for the hyperthermia to diminish over the course of nine extinction sessions.     

Influence of sex differences in leaders' behavior

Sex differences in influence tactics were examined with a sample of 269 followers (67 men, 202 women) at a large midwestern national insurance company who rated the downward influence tactics used by their direct supervisors. Downward influence tactics are behaviors used by leaders to gain compliance from followers. One department within the organization was identified as a source for participants in the study. Participation was voluntary. The age range for the sample was 21 to 65 years, with the largest percentage falling in the 40-49 year range (M = 3.8, SD = .8). Hierarchical linear modeling procedures were utilized to analyze the multiple level data (leader and follower) and to examine variables within the organization at different levels of analysis. Leader participants were asked to solicit their followers to complete an influence tactic measure, which consisted of the most reliable subscales taken from the Influence Behavior Questionnaire, Schriesheim and Hinkin Influence Measure, and the Profiles of Organizational Influence Strategies. The integrated measure resulted in a 45-item scale. It was hypothesized that, overall, followers would report that male leaders would use hard influence tactics more frequently than female leaders. On the other hand, followers would report that female leaders would use soft influence tactics more frequently than male leaders. When differentiating followers by sex, however, we expected that male followers would report more than female followers that their leaders use hard tactics more frequently. Also, we expected that female followers would report (more than male followers) that their leaders use soft tactics more frequently. Overall, followers reported that male leaders used significantly more personal appeal and consultation, so called "soft tactics," with their followers than did female leaders. Female followers reported that their leaders (both male and female) used consultation and inspirational appeal more frequently. In contrast, male followers reported that their leaders used exchange, so called "hard tactics," more frequently.