{"title":"Anxiolytic treatment of a trapped rat reduces helping and anxiogenic treatment increases helping: Evidence for emotional contagion in altruism","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173846","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present experiment used the trapped rat model to explore whether pharmacological manipulation of distress affects the likelihood of helping behavior. 120 Sprague-Dawley rats (30 male pairs and 30 female pairs) completed 12 consecutive, daily trials assessing helping behavior. During an individual trial, a trapped rat was placed in a restrainer in the center of an open field, while its cagemate could move around freely and possibly open the restrainer by lifting a door. Trapped rats received an intraperitoneal injection of either 1) physiological saline, 2) the anxiolytic midazolam (1.5 mg/kg), or 3) the anxiogenic yohimbine (2.5 mg/kg) 30 min prior to the start of each trial. Dependent variables measured were: 1) door opening latency (<em>sec</em>), 2) percentage of trials in which a door opening occurred, and 3) the number of free rats classified as “openers.” Based on emotional contagion theory, we predicted that 1) free rats paired with midazolam-subjects would show attenuated helping behavior (e.g., higher door opening latency) compared to controls, and conversely 2) free rats paired with yohimbine-subjects would show enhanced helping behavior. First, a significant sex-difference was observed, in that more females were classified as openers than males. This supports previous evidence that females express higher altruistic motivation and experience stronger emotional contagion than males. Second, midazolam-treatment significantly attenuated helping behavior. From trials 4–12, free rats paired with midazolam-subjects expressed slower door opening latencies compared to controls. Third, yohimbine-treatment significantly increased helping behavior (e.g., reduced door opening latencies) – but only on trials 1–3; by trials 9–12, this pattern was reversed. These results are consistent with emotional contagion theory and indicate that intensity of distress directly modulates altruistic motivation through vicarious state-matching.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":19893,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305724001400","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The present experiment used the trapped rat model to explore whether pharmacological manipulation of distress affects the likelihood of helping behavior. 120 Sprague-Dawley rats (30 male pairs and 30 female pairs) completed 12 consecutive, daily trials assessing helping behavior. During an individual trial, a trapped rat was placed in a restrainer in the center of an open field, while its cagemate could move around freely and possibly open the restrainer by lifting a door. Trapped rats received an intraperitoneal injection of either 1) physiological saline, 2) the anxiolytic midazolam (1.5 mg/kg), or 3) the anxiogenic yohimbine (2.5 mg/kg) 30 min prior to the start of each trial. Dependent variables measured were: 1) door opening latency (sec), 2) percentage of trials in which a door opening occurred, and 3) the number of free rats classified as “openers.” Based on emotional contagion theory, we predicted that 1) free rats paired with midazolam-subjects would show attenuated helping behavior (e.g., higher door opening latency) compared to controls, and conversely 2) free rats paired with yohimbine-subjects would show enhanced helping behavior. First, a significant sex-difference was observed, in that more females were classified as openers than males. This supports previous evidence that females express higher altruistic motivation and experience stronger emotional contagion than males. Second, midazolam-treatment significantly attenuated helping behavior. From trials 4–12, free rats paired with midazolam-subjects expressed slower door opening latencies compared to controls. Third, yohimbine-treatment significantly increased helping behavior (e.g., reduced door opening latencies) – but only on trials 1–3; by trials 9–12, this pattern was reversed. These results are consistent with emotional contagion theory and indicate that intensity of distress directly modulates altruistic motivation through vicarious state-matching.
期刊介绍:
Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior publishes original reports in the areas of pharmacology and biochemistry in which the primary emphasis and theoretical context are behavioral. Contributions may involve clinical, preclinical, or basic research. Purely biochemical or toxicology studies will not be published. Papers describing the behavioral effects of novel drugs in models of psychiatric, neurological and cognitive disorders, and central pain must include a positive control unless the paper is on a disease where such a drug is not available yet. Papers focusing on physiological processes (e.g., peripheral pain mechanisms, body temperature regulation, seizure activity) are not accepted as we would like to retain the focus of Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior on behavior and its interaction with the biochemistry and neurochemistry of the central nervous system. Papers describing the effects of plant materials are generally not considered, unless the active ingredients are studied, the extraction method is well described, the doses tested are known, and clear and definite experimental evidence on the mechanism of action of the active ingredients is provided.