Reinforcing,discriminative and activating properties of amphetamine

In five experimental series the different actions of the stimulant drug amphetamine were examined. In a self-administration paradigm the unconditional reinforcing properties of the drug, in addition to the discriminative properties were studied. The discriminative properties were further tested in a conventional setting where the drug functioned as a cue for food-reinforced behavior. The activating properties were dealt with in a food-reinforced schedule where the drug was administered noncontingent on behavior. It is concluded that it is relatively easy to isolate the reinforcing and discriminative properties of amphetamine and to demonstrate how these control behavior. The activating effects were more difficult to assess but they seem to be of minor importance in this kind of experiment.