A multivariate analysis of some operant variables used in behavioral pharmacology.

The classificatory power afforded by the conjoint measurement of lever-pressing response rate and response duration was compared with a univariate analysis based exclusively on response rate. Operant behavior was measured following chlorpromazine, haloperidol, chlordiazepoxide, and pentobarbital, all of which produce similar dose-related decreases in rate of responding on simple fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. The multivariate technique of linear discriminant analysis indicates that both response rate and response duration provide useful and nonredundant information regarding the drug effect, separating the four drugs into three distinct classes: neuroleptic, chlordiazepoxide, and pentobarbital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]