How operant conditioning can contribute to behavioral toxicology

Abstract

Operant conditioning can contribute to the development of behavioral toxicology in many ways. Its techniques are useful in training animals in the various behaviors the toxicologist may wish to study. They make possible the sophisticated assessment of sensory functioning. Operant conditioners excel at using schedules of intermittent reinforcement to create the type of stable animal performance needed in studying substances that produce effects only after prolonged exposure. Schedule-controlled behavior also helps elucidate the precise behavioral mechanisms involved in toxicity. In the early assessment of toxic substances a judiciously chosen sample of schelule-controlled performances may provide the best estimate whether the integrity of complex operant behavior remains unchanged. The development of improved behavioral techniques and computer technology promises to bring down the cost of such assessment.