Primary interest is in the laboratory study of drug self-administration or drug seeking behavior.
Operant conditioning methods and principles are used to study drug reinforced behavior. Subjects include humans, rhesus monkeys, rats, and mice. The focus of the research is on factors that lead to the initiation, maintenance, and elimination or termination of drug seeking behavior. Another aspect of the research is the study of consequences of drug taking such as tolerance and physical dependence. Possible treatments are analyzed including drugs such as antagonists.