title: Effects of response requirement and alcohol on human aggressive responding.
abstract: Nine men participated in two experiments to determine the effects of increased response requirement and alcohol administration on free-operant aggressive responding. Two response buttons (A and B) were available. Pressing Button A was maintained by a fixed-ratio 100 schedule of point presentation. Subjects were instructed that completion of each fixed-ratio 10 on Button B resulted in the subtraction of a point from a fictitious second subject. Button B presses were defined as aggressive because they ostensibly resulted in the presentation of an aversive stimulus to another person. Aggressive responses were engendered by a random-time schedule of point loss and were maintained by initiation of intervals free of point loss. Instructions attributed these point losses to Button B presses of the fictitious other subject. In Experiment 1, increasing the ratio requirement on Button B decreased the number of ratios completed in 4 of 5 subjects. In Experiment 2, the effects of placebo and three alcohol doses (0.125, 0.25, and 0.375 g/kg) were determined when Button B presses were maintained at ratio values of 20, 40 and 80. Three subjects who reduced aggressive responding with increasing fixed-ratio values reduced aggressive responding further at higher alcohol doses. One subject who did not reduce aggressive responding with increasing fixed-ratio values increased aggressive responding at the highest alcohol dose. The results of this study support suggestions that alcohol alters aggressive behavior by reducing the control of competing contingencies.
authors.affiliation: Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Cherek
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spiga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015990:Placebo Effect; D011930:Reaction Time; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol