Fullerton College Rat Park Reading Worksheet & The Power of Habit Essay Directions: The reading for our research essay is from Rat Park, by Lauren Slater.
Fullerton College Rat Park Reading Worksheet & The Power of Habit Essay Directions: The reading for our research essay is from Rat Park, by Lauren Slater. Please read the attached reading below, and then complete the attached worksheet.Addiction Essay Summaries : To get ready for our next essay, it is important that you understand the concepts presented in the readings that we had from The Power of Habit, and “Rat Park.” To show your understanding, please write thorough summaries of those readings using the guide attached below. Bonus: You will be able to use theses summaries when you write your paper for your essay on addiction next week. Opening Skinners Box, by Lauren Slater
Rat Park Readers Guide
Task One: Experiment Analysis
Please provide the following information about the Olds and Milner experiments: (pages 161-163)
Experiment
Hypothesis/Research Question
(The question the scientists were
trying to answer?)
Experimental Conditions
(How did the scientist set up
the experiment?)
Observations During
Experiment
Findings of Experiment
#1
#2
1. What were the ultimate findings of these experiments?
2. Why was Bruce Alexander skeptical of the Olds and Milner experiments? (page 162 and 163)
3. Who is Kleber? He supports the Olds and Milner experiments and their model of the causes of addiction. What real world examples does he give to
support his claim? Slater (the author) seems to disagree with Kebler. Why? (page 170-171)
Please provide the following information about Alexanders experiments: (pages 165-169)
Experiment
Hypothesis/Research Question
(The question the scientists
were trying to answer?)
Experimental Conditions
(How did the scientist set up
the experiment?)
Observations During
Experiment
Findings of Experiment
#1
#2
1. What were the ultimate findings of these experiments?
2. What argument is made against the Rat Park experiments and their findings? What does Slater speculate would be Alexanders response? (page 173)
3. Slater, herself, finds a flaw in the Rat Park experiments. What was it? (page 178)
Please provide the following information about Slaters experiment: (pages 176-177)
Hypothesis
(The question is she trying to
answer?)
Experimental Conditions
(How did the she set up the
experiment?)
Observations During
Experiment
Findings of Experiment
Experiment #1
1. What were the ultimate findings of this experiment?
Task Two: Minor Character Analysis
Who they are
Emily Lowry
Slaters Husband
Santa Claus
Heroine Addicts
What they do
Why do they suggest
about addiction?
7
Rat Park
THE
RADICAL
A D D I C T I O N
EXPERIMENT
In the 1960s and 1970s scientists conducted research into the nature of
addiction. With animal models, they tried to create and quantify craving, tolerance, and withdrawal. Some of the more bizarre experiments
involved injecting an elephant with LSD using a dart gun, and pumping barbiturates directly into the stomachs of cats via an inserted
catheter. With cocaine alone, overfive hundred experiments are still performed every year, some on monkeys strapped into restraining chairs,
others on rats, whose nervous system so closely resembles ours that they
make, ostensibly, reasonable subjects for the study of addiction. Almost
all animal addiction experiments have focused on, and concluded with,
the notion that certain substances are irresistible, the proof being the
animal’s choice to self-administer the neurotoxin to the point of death.
However, Bruce Alexander and coinvestigators Robert Coambs and
Patricia Hadaway, in 1981, decided to challenge the central premise of
addiction as illustrated by classic animal experiments. Their hypothesis:
strapping a monkey into a seat for days on end, and giving it a button
to push for relief, says nothing about the power of drugs and everything
about the power of restraintssocial, physical, and psychological. Their
idea was to test the animals in a truly benevolent environment, and to
see whether addiction was still the inevitable result. If it was, then drugs
deserved to be demonized. If it wasn’t, then perhaps, the researchers
suggested, the problem was not as much chemical as cultural.
I
k n o w a j u n k i e . E m m a i s h e r n a m e . At s i x t y – t h r e e years old, she i s
a s c i e n c e d e a n at a small N e w E n g l a n d c o l l e g e , and e v e n w h e n
she’s n o t in h e r office, she’s stylishly dressed, today in l i n e n pants a n d
a s c a r f t h e c o l o r o f m e r l o t . A f e w m o n t h s ago, s o m e t h i n g b a d h a p p e n e d t o t h e b o n e s i n E m m a ‘ s b a c k . T h e v e r t e b r a e , w h i c h snap
t o g e t h e r like L e g o s , b e g a n t o l o o s e n and slip. T o ease t h e pressure, she
w e n t u n d e r t h e knife a n d c a m e u p t o c o n s c i o u s n e s s w i t h a surgical
seam and o n e brown bottle
of O x y C o n t i n , the
m e d i c i n a l disks
releasing h e r to a plac e w i t h o u t pain.
O p i u m , called i n o l d e n days t h e S a c r e d A n c h o r o f Life, t h e P l a n t
o f J o y , M i l k o f Paradise, w r i t t e n a b o u t b y classic G r e e k physicians a s
c u r i n g ” c h r o n i c h e a d a c h e , epilepsy, apoplexy, tightness o f b r e a t h ,
c o l i c , lilac p o i s o n , hardness o f t h e spleen s t o n e , the troubles t o w h i c h
w o m e n are s u b j e c t , m e l a n c h o l y a n d all p e s t i l e n c e . ” O p i u m , a strange
s u b s t a n c e harvested from t h e l e g g y p o p p y plant w i t h its testicular
p o d full o f seed; i n n i n e t e e n t h – c e n t u r y E n g l a n d , n u r s i ng w o m e n
used t o b r e w t h e p o p p y plant’s seeds, d r i n k t h e tea, a n d q u i e t t h e i r
fitful infants. O p i u m , possibly t h e p r e c u r s o r to R i t a l i n , t h e first p s y chotropic,
sold
in
the
streets
of s m o k y
London
as
“Infant’s
Q u i e t n e s s ” and ” M r s . Winslow’s S o o t h i n g Syrup
E m m a L o w r y , h o w e v e r , has a different v i e w o f t h e drug. S u r g e r y
c u r e d t h e b a d b o n e s i n h e r b a c k b u t left h e r w i t h ” a t e r r i b l e d e p e n d e n c e . I n e v e r m u c h t h o u g h t a b o u t drugs, n e v e r m u c h c a r e d for t h e m
o n e w a y or t h e o t h e r , b u t I’ll tell y o u , I’ll n e v e r l o o k at a p o p p y plant
and t h i n k it’s p r e t t y n e v e r , ever again,” she says w h e n I visit h e r in
h e r h o m e , a s o l a r – p a n e l e d c o n t e m p o r a r y w i t h h i g h w h i t e walls.
Today, E m m a i s reading a b o o k b y G e o r g e E l i o t , talkin g o n t h e
p h o n e t o h e r staff a b o u t h i r i n g p r o c e d u r e s , and i n b e t w e e n that,
telling me h e r tale. S h e d o e s n ‘ t n e e d to tell me really. I c a n see it, in
t h e way, after t w o h o u r s w i t h o u t a dose, h e r b o d y b e g i n s to q u i v e r; I
w a t c h h e r ease t w o tablets from t h e b o t t l e , p l a ce t h e m o n t h e pad o f
h e r t o n g u e . S h e c o u l d , i t s e e m s , n o m o r e refuse t h e s e pills than a
plant c o u l d d e n y t h e sun it tilts toward .
H e r s is a c o m m o n , u n d i s p u t e d story. O u r predecessors m a y have
t h o u g h t o p i u m a n elixir, b u t w e k n o w b e t t e r , w e w i t h o u r n e e d l e s
g o n e b l u n t from sharing, o u r c o l l e c t i v e nasal cavities collapsing. W e
k n o w drugs are addictive. I f y o u m a i n l i n e h e r o i n l o n g e n o u g h , y o u
will d e v e l o p a taste for it. I f y o u s m o k e c r a c k c o c a i n e , y o u will b e
r u s h e d and r o c k e d and later feel t h e n e e d for m o r e . W e t h i n k these
things b e c a u s e t h e m e d i a and t h e m e d i c a l e s t a b l i s h m e nt have r e p e a t edly tol d us it is so, t h e i r p r o o f in P E T scans s h o w i n g brains b r i g h t
red w i t h craving.
A n d yet, in t h e e n d , eve n p r o o f i t s e l f is a cultural c o n s t r u c t . B r u c e
A l e x a n d e r , P h . D . , a p s y c h o l o g i s t w h o lives i n V a n c o u v e r , B r i t i s h
C o l u m b i a , w i l l tell y o u this. He has spent his life studying t h e nature
o f a d d i c t i o n and has c o m e t o t h e c o n c l u s i o n that i t d o e s n o t reside i n
t h e p h a r m a c o l o g y o f a drug a t all, b u t i n t h e c o m p l e x w e a v e o f
u n s u p p o r t i v e s o c i e t i e s . A c c o r d i n g t o A l e x a n d e r , t h e r e i s n o such
t h i n g as a c h e m i c a l that causes a d d i c t i o n , as, say, a n t h r a x causes p u l m o n a r y distress. In A l e x a n d e r ‘ s s c h e m a , a d d i c t i o n is n o t a fact, b u t a
narrative, and o n e q u i t e p o o r l y p l o t t e d . T h e r e f o r e , h e v e r y m u c h
d o u b t s t h e stories o f t h e E m m a L o w r y s , o r t h e A A c o n v e r t s , o r t h e
research b y E . M . J e l l i n e c k , w h o was t h e first physician t o d u b a l c o h o l i s m a disease in t h e 1 9 6 0 s , and t h e later research by J a m e s O l d s
and P e t e r M i l n e r , w h o f o u n d that animals i n cages will c h o o s e
c o c a i n e o v e r f o o d until t h e y starve t o death, b o n e d rodents. Instead,
A l e x a n d e r has t w o stark claims: ( 1 ) t h e r e is really n o t h i n g ” i n h e r e n t l y
a d d i c t i v e ” a b o u t any drugs, a n d ( 2 ) r e p e a t e d e x p o s u r e s t o e v en t h e
m o s t e n t i c i n g drugs d o n o t usually lead t o p r o b l e m s .
” T h e vast m a j o r i t y o f p e o p l e , ” A l e x a n d e r says, ” w i l l use e v e n t h e
m o s t addictive substances, and will use t h e m perhaps repeatedly, b u t
there i s N O i n e x o r a b l e progression t o hell.”
H i s t o r y m a y prove h i m r i g h t . P r i o r t o t h e t e m p e r a n c e m o v e m e n t ,
w h e n o p i u m was legal, a d d i c t i o n levels r e m a i n e d at a steady o n e p e r cent o f the population. Despite the E m m a Lowrys o f the world,
A l e x a n d e r can r e c i t e studies that support his v i e w like s o m e m u s i cians play scales, in full c o m m a n d of t h e i r k e y b o a r d s t h e study, for
i n s t a n c e , d o n e fifteen years ago, that s h o w e d t h e vast m a j o r i t y o f h o s pitalized patients e x p o s e d t o c o n s i s t e n t l y h i g h doses o f m o r p h i n e
w e r e able t o c o m e o f f w i t h o u t a p r o b l e m o n c e t h e i r pain h a d
resolved, a n d t h e O n t a r i o h o u s e h o l d survey, w h i c h s h o w e d that
n i n e t y – f i v e p e r c e n t o f O n t a r i a n s w h o use c o c a i n e d o s o less than
o n c e per m o n t h . In a
1974
S a n F r a n c i s c o study that f o l l o w e d
t w e n t y – s e v e n regular c o c a i n e users o v e r an e l e v e n – y e a r p e r i o d , all
respondents
remained
gainfully
employed; only
one, during
the
decade, had turned into a compulsive imbiber. Eleven of the respondents r e p o r t e d t h e y had used t h e i r addictive d r ug daily at s o m e
p o i n t , b u t w e r e n o l o n g e r d o i n g so. S e v e n o f t h o s e eleve n h a d
r e d u c e d t h e i r c o n s u m p t i o n from seven t o t h r e e g r a m s . A l e x a n d e r i s
especially f o n d o f c i t i n g t h e V i e t n a m W a r a s a natural e x p e r i m e n t i n
drug addiction; ninety percent o f the m e n w h o b e c a m e “addicted” t o
h e r o i n o n t h e w a r fields s t o p p e d usin g o n c e t h e y hit h o m e turf,
s t o p p e d simply a n d quietly, n e v e r t o g o b a c k t o c o m p u l s i v e use. A n d
t h e n there’s t h e e x c e l l e n t c r a c k c o c a i n e survey: a 1 9 9 0 study o f
y o u n g A m e r i c a n s w h i c h s h o w e d that 5.1 p e r c e n t o f t h e m h a d used
c r a c k o n c e i n t h e i r life, b u t o n l y 0 . 4 p e r c e n t h a d used i t t h e m o n t h o f
t h e i n t e r v i e w , a n d less than 0 . 0 5 p e r c e n t h a d used i t t w e n t y o r m o r e
days i n t h e m o n t h o f t h e i n t e r v i e w . ” T h e r e f o r e , ” c r o w s A l e x a n d e r t o
m e , ” i t w o u l d s e e m t h e m o s t addictive d r ug o n earth causes persistent
a d d i c t i o n i n n o m o r e than o n e user i n o n e h u n d r e d . ”
W e c o u l d g o o n . T h e r e are still m o r e studies t o prove his p o i n t s,
and A l e x a n d e r likes t o s o u n d t h e m . I n fact, h e likes t o rant a n d rave.
He speaks in a soft v o i c e t i n g e d w i t h a b i t of B r i t i s h , I t h i n k , b u t
t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g c o m p u l s i v e i n his talk, his eyes w i d e a n d s o r t o f
startled b e h i n d t h e i r oval glasses, his folded hands t i g h t e n i n g to prove
a p o i n t . ” D o y o u use any drugs y o u r s e l f ? ” I ask h i m , b e c a u s e he
s o m e t i m e s s e e m s a little tilted. He says, ” W i t h special friends, I use
acid. I d o n ‘ t use it regularly, b u t it has p r o v i d e d me w i t h t h e o p p o r t u nity
fo r
profound
self-understanding. ”
He
pauses.
I’m
waiting.
” O n c e , ” h e says, ” I t o o k s o m e L S D a n d felt m y h e a d was i n a
dragon’s m o u t h , a n d w h e n I l o o k e d d o w n , m y l o w e r b o d y was i n
a n o t h e r beast’s m o u t h a n d I t h o u g h t , ‘ O k a y , I’ll j u s t lie d o w n and die.’
S o that’s w h a t I did. M y h e a r t s e e m e d t o stop b e a t i n g . I k n e w n o t t o
fight t h e beasts. As s o o n as I s t o p p e d resisting, t h e m o n s t e r s t u r n e d
i n t o a y e l l o w b e d of flowers, a n d I floated away. S i n c e t h e n I have n o t
feared m y mortality.”
” H o w l o n g a g o was t h a t ? ” I ask h i m .
” T w e n t y – f i v e years a g o o r so,” h e says.
W e l l , I t h i n k that’s a pretty g o o d a d v e r t i s e m e n t for acid. N o t o n l y
does i t b r e a k y o u i n t o B u d d h i s m faster than y o u c a n c r a c k t h e easiest
k o a n , b u t i t k e e p s y o u t h e r e w i t h o u t , apparently, m u c h f o l l o w – u p .
I eye h i m , warily. As a p s y c h o l o g i s t I have w o r k e d in s u b s t a n c e
abuse facilities, and I have seen f i r s t h a n d t h e powerful c h e m i s t r y o f
craving. I’d like to dismiss A l e x a n d e r as a pure propagandist, e x c e p t
t h e r e is this p r o b l e m a t i c , delightful, fascinating fact: A l e x a n d e r has
facts, i n t h e f o r m o f his o w n i n g e n i o u s e x p e r i m e n t s , t o prove his t h e o r i e s and substantiate t h e studies he so likes t o q u o t e . Y o u c a n resist
him, or you can c o m e with h i m , here and here and here, to the o d d est places, w h e r e y o u r a s s u m p t i o n s die d o w n a n d i n t h e i r place, a n
o p e n f i e l d s t r a n g e sorts o f flowers, all o f t h e m u n e x p e c t e d .
B R U C E A L E X A N D E R WAS raised i n ” a red, w h i t e , a n d b l u e ” h o u s e h o l d . H i s father, a n a r m y officer a n d later a n e n g i n e e r for G E , spent
t h e last years o f his life insisting h e b e called C o l o n e l A l e x a n d e r . A t
n i n e t e e n years o f age, A l e x a n d e r , w h o s e early p h o t o g r a p h s s h o w a
h e a r t b r e a k i n g l y h a n d s o m e m a n , m a r r i e d a h e a r t b r e a k i n g l y beautiful
w o m a n , and t o g e t h e r t h e y m o v e d t o a tiny t o w n called O x f o r d ,
O h i o . O x f o r d was often c o l d , a n d t h e O h i o R i v e r m a d e a dull gray
c u t t h r o u g h t h e tasseled c o r n f i e l d s. T h e m a r r i a g e w e n t c o l d quickly.
A l e x a n d e r was studying p s y c h o l o g y as an u n d e r g r a d u a t e at M i a m i
U n i v e r s i t y w h e n h e saw H a r r y H a r l o w ‘ s f a m o u s m o n k e y tapes. ” I
t h o u g h t , ‘ H e r e is a m a n w h o i s s t u d y i n g t h e nature o f love, a n d I a m
u n l u c k y in love, so I s h o u l d s e e k this m a n as my m e n t o r . ‘ ” W h i c h he
did. H e w r o t e H a r l o w a l e t t e r a n d was i n v i t e d to M a d i s o n to study
for his master’s a n d d o c t o r a l d e g r e e s. A l e x a n d e r w e n t , fully e x p e c t i n g
t o l e a rn s o m e t h i n g , o r e v e r y t h i n g , a b o u t t h e ties that b i n d .
H e traveled, t h e n , across t h e land, e x c h a n g i n g o n e c o l d state for a n
e v e n c o l d e r o n e , a l t h o u g h h e had n o idea a t t h e t i m e . H e arrived a t
H a r l o w ‘ s lab t o b e i m m e d i a t e l y assigned t o t h e m a t e r n a l d e p r i v a t i o n
e x p e r i m e n t s , r e c o r d i n g h o w m a n y t i m e s a day a m o t h e r l e s s m o t h e r
m o n k e y b i t o r o t h e r w i s e abused h e r y o u n g . H e w a t c h e d t h e m o n keys, b u t h e w a t c h e d still m o r e carefully H a r l o w h i m s e l f . ” H e was a
t e r r i b l e d r u n k , ” says A l e x a n d e r . ” H e was always, always i n t o x i c a t e d . I
t h o u g h t , w h a t w o u l d p r o p e l a m a n t o s o absent h i m s e l f f r o m t h e
w o r l d ? I t h o u g h t a b o u t that a l o t . I c a m e to H a r l o w ‘ s lab w a n t i n g to
study love, b u t I w o u n d up c o n t e m p l a t i n g a d d i c t i o n . ”
T h e V i e t n a m W a r b r o k e o u t . A l e x a n d e r , n o w d i v o r c e d , left his
wife a n d t w o toddlers for C a n a d a , b e c a u s e ” I b e c a m e radicalized. I
c o u l d n o t live i n this c o u n t r y a n y m o r e . ” A c r o s s t h e b o r d e r , h e s i g n e d
on as an assistant professor at S i m o n Fraser University, a n d as c h a n c e
w o u l d have it, t h e p s y c h o l o g y d e p a r t m e n t assigned h i m to t e a c h a
c o u r s e i n h e r o i n a d d i c t i o n , s o m e t h i n g h e k n e w little a b o u t . H e did
an i n t e r n s h i p h i m s e l f at a s u b s t a n c e abuse c l i n i c in V a n c o u v e r , a n d it
was t h e r e h e first b e g a n t o c o n s i d e r a d d i c t i o n i n ways distinctly n o n p h a r m a c o l o g i c a l . ” I especially r e m e m b e r this o n e p a t i e n t. H e h a d a
C h r i s t m a s t i m e j o b a s S a n t a C l a u s i n a m a l l. H e c o u l d n ‘ t d o his j o b
unless h e was h i g h o n h e r o i n . H e w o u l d s h o o t up, c l i m b i n t o that red
S a n t a C l a u s c o s t u m e , put o n t h o s e b l a c k plastic b o o t s , a n d s m i l e for
six h o u r s straight. I b e g a n to c o n s i d e r t h e n that t h e c u r r e n t t h e o r i e s
o f s u b s t a n ce abuse w e r e w r o n g ; that p e o p l e used, n o t b e c a u s e t h e y
H A D t o p h a r m a c o l o g i c a l l y , b u t b e c a u s e t h e s u b s t a n c e was o n e valid
way o f adapting t o difficult c i r c u m s t a n c e s . ”
T h i s thinking violated the theories b a c k then and continues to go
against t h e t h e o r i e s o f today, despite t h e f r e q u e n t nod s c o n t e m p o r a r y
researchers m a k e t o t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f ” c o m p l e x factors.” R e a d
e n o u g h c o n t e m p o r a r y c o n v e n t i o n a l s u b s t a n ce abuse literature, a n d
y o u ‘ l l n o t e that it all starts o u t w i t h an a c k n o w l e d g m e n t that e n v i r o n m e n t plays a role, and t h e n it slides lickety-spli t i n t o t h e i n e v i t a b l e
l o c k s t e p e l e c t r i c a l and c h e m i c a l cascades that o v e r t a k e t h e h u m a n
brain, t h e H a r l o w heart. B a c k i n t h e 1 9 5 0 s , t h e r e was a l o t o f very
c o m p e l l i n g research i n t o t h e p h y s i o l o g i c a l m e c h a n i s m s o f a d d i c t i o n ,
a n d that research d o m i n a t e d t h e day, a n d today as well. In 1 9 5 4 , at
M c G i l l University, t w o y o u n g p s y c h o l o g i s t s , J a m e s O l d s a n d P e t e r
M i l n e r , w e r e t h e first to discover the fact that a w h i t e lab rat will
m o n o m a n i a c a l l y press a lever to r e c e i v e e l e c t r i c a l brain stimulation in
w h a t was t h o u g h t t o b e ” t h e reward c e n t e r . ” I n several f a m o u s variations o f t h e o r i g i n a l O l d s a n d M i l n e r e x p e r i m e n t , scientists s u ch a s
M . A . B o z a r t h and R . A . W i s e h o o k e d t h e animals u p t o self-injectin g
catheters and let t h e m get h i g h as kites w h i l e t h e y slowly starved to
death. T h e s e …
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