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Auditory Masking In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat: An Examination Of The Continuum Of Impulsivity, John Joseph O'Malley

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Signal detection theory can measure impulsive behavior. To further examine this paradigm, the researcher attempted to replicate previous findings with more experimental control and examine impulsive behaviors in a putative model of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat. Four strains of rats attempted to discriminate between the presence and absences of a 3 kHz tone within a 5-6 kHz masker; however, only one rat reached stabilization. To aid in training and reduce difficulty of the task, the researcher presented the rat wit forced-choice trials. Although the additional training increased their variability of correct responses, rats were unable to reach …