Studies of abnormal behavior in the rat. VII. The permanent nature of abnormal fixations and their relation to convulsive tendencies.

Abstract

Persistent unadaptive position habits (fixations) which had previously been developed in a group of rats by frustration were found to survive a strenuous testing program in which this response was repeatedly punished. Even convulsions produced by metrazol failed to disturb the fixations. The experimentally produced fixations are therefore regarded as permanent in nature. Individuals inclined to develop fixations appear no more subject to exptl. "neuroses" than animals not so inclined. The fixations when present, however, seemed to be an aid to the animal in escaping from the "neurosis" producing situation utilized in this study. This situation employed a discrimination problem in which the animal was forced to take punishment and the fixated position habit gave the animal a way of reacting, even though the reaction was unadaptive. Metrazol, even in subconvulsive doses, showed some tendency to increase the susceptibility to "neurotic" behavior. The effects were temporary, however, and other behavior in the problem situations remained unaltered.