Effects of chlorpromazine on learning

Learning is an essential part of behavior therapies and is an important requirement of more traditional psychotherapy. The widespread use of tranquilizing drugs in psychiatric settings prompts a review of their effects on learning. Chlorpromazine is perhaps the most widely investigated tranquilizing drug and is used as a referent in the assessment of its effect on learning. Results of studies involving a number of animals, normal Ss, and psychiatric patients tend to show significant declines in learning on a wide range of tasks, with a linear decline in learning with increased dosage levels. A number of methodological difficulties which limit generalizations are discussed.