A RE-EVALUATION OF PERSISTENT EAR-SCRATCHING BEHAVIOR IN RATS

THE IRRITANT COLLODION WAS PLACED ON RATS' EARS FOR EACH OF 5 DAYS. 3 GROUPS OF 8 SS WERE ADMINISTERED DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF COLLODION WHILE 8 CONTROLS WERE UNTREATED. DURING AND FOLLOWING TREATMENT DAYS EAR SCRATCHING WAS RECORDED AND DOUBLE-BLIND JUDGMENTS OF TISSUE IRRITATION WERE MADE. THE FINDING REPLICATED EARLIER STUDIES IN DEMONSTRATING THAT EAR SCRATCHING WILL PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 2 WK. FOLLOWING TREATMENT WITH A SUFFICIENT CONCENTRATION OF COLLODION. THE JUDGMENTS OF IRRITATION, HOWEVER, INDICATED THAT PREVIOUS INTERPRETATIONS BASED ON ALLPORT'S DOCTRINE OF FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY ARE UNWARRANTED SINCE MACROSCOPIC IRRITATION ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED PERSISTENT EAR SCRATCHING. THE NECESSITY OF CLEARLY DEFINING STIMULUS CONDITIONS AND OF ASSESSING THE AFTEREFFECTS OF THE ORIGINAL STIMULATION WAS SHOWN. (FRENCH SUMMARY)