Nancy H. McGinnis

Frustration effect following changed S-R temporal relations

Twenty-four rat Ss received training to run down a 6 ft. runway for food reward with either a 2 or 4 sec. interval between a discrete click and being dropped onto the runway. Half the Ss in each group were then shifted to the other time interval while the remaining half of each group continued with its original interval. It was found that increasing the time interval between the click and placement in the runway led to an increase in speed of running which grew from the first to the second day of testing. Reducing the interval following the click had the effect of slowing the shifted animals, but this-effect vanished on the second test day. It was concluded that the increase in the time interval following the click produced a frustration effect (a motivational effect) while the decrease in the time interval led to generalization decrement (an associative effect), followed by new learning at the new interval.

Lithium Carbonate - Is It Successful?

• Lithium carbonate as a specific psychopharmacologic agent in the treatment of manic-depressive illness has been known for over 20 years but was not approved by the F.D.A. until 1970. The general historical course followed by a drug initially offering clinical promise can be divided into four stages: 1) enthusiastic response immediately after discovery; 2) verifying reports by other investigators; 3) application of the drug outside the originally discovered area of effectiveness with reported favorable results; and 4) increasing criticism, resulting in more critical investigations to delineate the limits of efficacy of the drug. It appears that lithium is presently in this fourth stage.