title: The effects of social learning on the acquisition of cocaine self-administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social learning models of substance use propose that drug-use behaviors are learned by observing and mimicking the behavior of others. The aim of this study was to examine the acquisition of cocaine self-administration in three groups of experimentally naïve rats: rats that were tested in isolation, rats that were tested in the presence of another rat that had access to cocaine and had previously been trained to self-administer cocaine, and rats that were tested in the presence of another rat that did not have access to cocaine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male rats were reared in isolated or pair-housed conditions and implanted with intravenous catheters. Pair-housed rats were then assigned to drug-experienced or drug-naïve conditions. In the drug-experienced condition, one rat of each pair was trained to self-administer cocaine in isolation before the reintroduction of its partner. In the drug-naïve condition, one rat of each pair did not have access to cocaine for the duration of the study. For each group, the acquisition of cocaine self-administration was measured over 15 days in rats with access to cocaine but no prior operant training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rats tested with a drug-experienced partner were faster to acquire cocaine self-administration and emitted more active lever presses than rats tested with a cocaine-naïve partner. Data for the isolated control group fell between the other two groups on these measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that the acquisition of cocaine self-administration can either be facilitated or inhibited by social contact. Collectively, these results support a social learning model of substance use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035, USA. Electronic address: masmith@davidson.edu.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Lacy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035, USA.
authors.forename: Justin C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Strickland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012646:Self Administration; D012919:Social Behavior; D012934:Social Isolation
chemical_list: D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D003042:Cocaine
keywords: Cocaine; Rat; Self-administration; Social; Social learning