The involvement of dopamine (DA) receptor subtypes in the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine was investigated in squirrel monkeys trained to discriminate cocaine from vehicle using a two-lever choice procedure. Lever pressing was maintained under a 10-response fixed-ratio schedule of food presentation. In substitution tests, (-)-cocaine and its high-affinity analogs 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (CFT) and 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-chlorophenyl)tropane (CCT) engendered dose-related increases in the proportion of cocaine-appropriate responses. Full (97-100%) substitution for the training dose of cocaine was observed with all three drugs, the rank order of potency being: CCT greater than CFT greater than cocaine. DA agonists differing in selectivity for D1 and D2 receptor subtypes [6-chloro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-[1H]-3-benzazepine (SKF 81297), 6-chloro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-3-allyl-[1H]-3- benzazepine (SKF 82958), (+)-4-propyl-9-hydroxynapthoxazine [(+)-PHNO], quinpirole, quinelorane, (-)-4,6,6a,7,8,-12b-hexahydro-7-methyl-indolo[4,3-ab]phen ant hridine (CY 208-243) and (-)-apomorphine] also engendered dose-related increases in cocaine-appropriate responses. However, maximally effective doses of these drugs occasioned an average of only 54 to 77% responses on the cocaine-associated lever and markedly reduced response rates. Combinations of the D1 agonist SKF 81297 and the D2 agonist (+)-PHNO did not engender a consistently higher proportion of cocaine-appropriate responses than did either drug alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)