Animal models of maladaptive behaviour

Abstract

Behaviour is generally functional. Often, some specific maladaptive behaviours can be understood in terms of prevailing reinforcement contingencies that are opposed to the reinforcement contingencies previously experienced by the individual or by the ancestors of that individual, and which exert a persistent influence on their behaviour. When an individual faces a revocation of reinforcement contingencies resulting in dysfunctional behaviour, therapy must counteract prior information in order to enable the development of appropriate behaviour. When a change in reinforcement contingencies occurs in contradiction to a genetic predisposition toward response patterns that evolved as a result of natural selection and reinforcement contingencies, therapies should focus on circumventing the genetic predisposition to respond in a way that is currently maladaptive. Using examples from animal laboratories, several cases of dysfunctional behaviours arising from changes in reinforcement contingencies are reviewed.