Genetic, Environmental, and Sex Effects on Decision Making

Our laboratory is interesting in identifying sources and mechanisms of individual differences. Such individual differences in decision making may be a function of genetic, environmental, or gene-by-environment interactions. To assess these factors, we have tested different potential rat models of impulsivity (Spontaneously Hypertensive, Lewis) against their source strains (Wistar Kyoto, Wistar) to determine the genetic components of impulsive decision making, and have shown that the Lewis strain is more impulsive than their Wistar source strain (Garcia & Kirkpatrick, 2013). Similarly, we are investigating the effects of a rat’s rearing/living environment on impulsive and risky decision making (Kirkpatrick, Marshall, Clarke, & Cain, 2013; Kirkpatrick, Marshall, Smith, Koci, & Park, 2014), how the individual components of the environment independently affect decision making (Marshall, Wang, & Kirkpatrick, 2015), and whether socially dominant or subordinate rats are more or less impulsive and/or risky (Lott, Davis, Peterson, & Kirkpatrick, 2015). For example, rats that live in complex enriched environments seem to be less impulsive decision-makers than rats reared in isolated environments (Figure 1; Kirkpatrick et al., 2014). We are also exploring decision making and other behaviors in female rats to determine whether sex differences may also contribute to individual differences.

Figure 1.

Related Publications

Wang, M. Z., Marshall, A. T., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2017). Differential effects of social and novelty enrichment on individual differences in impulsivity and behavioral flexibility. Behavioural Brain Research, 327, 54-64.

Kirkpatrick, K., Marshall, A. T., Smith, A., Koci, J., & Park, Y. (2014). Individual differences in impulsive and risky choice: Effects of environmental rearing conditions. Behavioural Brain Research , 269 , 115-127.

Kirkpatrick, K., Marshall, A. T., Clarke, J., & Cain, M. E. (2013). Environmental rearing effects on impulsivity and reward sensitivity. Behavioral Neuroscience, 127, 712-724.

Garcia, A., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2013). Impulsive choice behavior in four strains of rats: Evaluation of possible models of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Behavioural Brain Research, 238, 10-22.

Related Conference Presentations

Lott, J. R., Davis, C., Marshall, A. T., Peterson, J. R., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2016). Dominance and housing effects on individual differences in choice and motivation . Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior, Chicago, IL.

Marshall, A. T., Stuebing, S. L., Triplett, A., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2015). Females in the forefront: the effects of a temporal intervention on impulsive choice in Sprague Dawley rats. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.

Lott, J. R., Davis, C., Peterson, J. R., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2015). Social dominance increases risky but not impulsive choice . Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.

Lott, J. R., Peterson, J. R., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2015). The effect of dominance on risky and impulsive choice. International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL.

Marshall, A. T., Wang, Z., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2015). Individual differences in impulsivity and behavioral flexibility: Effects of early rearing environment . International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL.

Wang, Z., Marshall, A. T., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2014). Environmental rearing effects on impulsivity in rats . Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Wang, Z., Marshall, A. T., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2014). Environmental rearing effects on behavioral flexibility . International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL.

Kirkpatrick, K. (2013). Differential rearing effects on impulsivity. Invited symposium contribution at the Applied Behavioral Analysis International meeting, Merida, Mexico.

Kirkpatrick, K. (2013). Environmental rearing effects on decision making . Invited symposium contribution at the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

Kirkpatrick, K., Clarke, J., & Cain, M. E. (2011). Environmental enrichment effects on reward sensitivity . Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Seattle, WA.

Kirkpatrick, K. (2011). Individual differences in impulsivity . Invited address at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Texas Applied Behavior Analysis Association, Galveston, TX.

Garcia, A., Crumer, A., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2011). Individual differences in impulsive choice behavior in different strains of rats . Annual Meeting of the Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior, Denver, CO.

Marshall, A., Clarke, J., Crumer, A., Cain, M., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2011). Differential rearing environment effects on impulsive action and impulsive choice in rats . International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL.

Garcia, A., Vilardo, M., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2011). Factors influencing impulsive choice behavior in different strains of rats. International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL.

Garcia, A., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2010). Timing, reward processing and choice behavior in Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats. Annual Meeting of the Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior, San Antonio, TX.