THE ROLE OF COMPENSATORY CLASSICAL CONDITIONING IN MORPHINE DEPENDENCE

Neither temporal nor environmental stimuli previously associated with chronic morphine administration had any effect on the degree of withdrawal (an index of dependence) as measured by aversion to a saccharin solution following the termination of drug administration. These results do not support a role of the compensatory classical conditioning model of Siegel (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978a, 1978b) in the development of morphine dependence. The failure to demonstrate the role of conditioning in dependence suggests that, contrary to tolerance, dependence is likely the result of some as yet undetermined physiological mechanism.