Extinction of conditioned sexual responses in male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica): role of species-typical cues.
The authors examined how a conditioned stimulus (CS) that included species-typical cues affected the acquisition and extinction of conditioned sexual responses in male quail (Coturnix japonica). Some subjects were conditioned with a CS that supported sexual responses and included a taxidermic head of a female quail. Others were conditioned with a similar CS that lacked species-typical cues. Pairing the CSs with access to live females increased CS-directed behavior, with the head CS eliciting significantly more responding than the no-head CS. Responding to the head CS persisted during the 42-day, 126-trial extinction phase; responses to the no-head CS extinguished. Responding declined when the cues were removed or the subjects were sexually satiated. Possible functions and mechanisms of these effects are discussed.
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Mark A
MA
Krause
Brian
B
Cusato
Michael
M
Domjan
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology; D003370:Coturnix; D003463:Cues; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors