Pavlovian Conditioning of Sexual Behavior and Fertility

描述(由申请人提供)：性条件作用已在各种物种中被证明，但它在雄性日本鹌鹑中得到了最广泛的研究。这些研究中的大多数都使用了任意条件刺激(Css)，但最近的实验表明，使用与生态相关的女性线索作为css可以显著改善男性的性条件。拟议的实验旨在调查与生态相关的男性线索在多大程度上促进女性的性条件作用。这种生态学方法也被扩展到测量条件性反应的非传统方法。除了通过测量动物CS定向反应的变化来评估性条件作用的影响外，一种更具功能性的方法将衡量受试者与交配伙伴互动效率的提高。衡量性条件作用研究的生态有效性的最终标准是促进生殖成功。性调理已被证明可以提高生育力，但这种效果背后的具体调理机制尚未确定。本实验旨在研究调节条件性生育效应的条件参数，条件性行为与生殖成功率的增加之间的关系，以及性条件能在多大程度上弥补生育缺陷。与大多数缺乏生态学有效性的传统动物学习调查不同，本实验将物种典型线索直接纳入实验设计。这种用生态学的方法来研究强调动物繁殖成功的方法，有助于将实验结果应用于实验室以外的情况，即动物在其自然环境中可能经历的情况。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sexual conditioning has been demonstrated in a variety of species but it has been most extensively investigated in male Japanese quail. The majority of these studies have used arbitrary conditioned stimuli (CSs), but recent experiments have demonstrated that using ecologically relevant female cues as CSs results in significantly improved male sexual conditioning. The proposed experiments are designed to investigate the extent to which ecologically relevant male cues facilitate the sexual conditioning of females. This ecological approach also is extended to non-traditional ways of measuring conditioned responding. In addition to assessing the effects of sexual conditioning by measuring changes in an animal's CS-directed responding, a more functional approach will measure increases in the efficiency of a subject's interactions with a copulation partner. The ultimate standard of ecological validity by which sexual conditioning studies may be measured is facilitated reproductive success. Sexual conditioning has been shown to improve fertility, but the specific conditioning mechanisms that underlie the effect have not yet been identified. The present experiments are designed to investigate the conditioning parameters that regulate the conditioned fertility effect, the relationship between conditioned sexual behavior and increases in reproductive success, and the extent to which sexual conditioning can compensate for fertility deficits. Unlike most conventional animal learning investigations that lack ecological validity, the present experiments incorporate species typical cues directly into the experimental designs. This ecological approach to investigate ways to accentuate an animal's reproductive success facilitates the application of the experimental findings to situations outside the laboratory that animals may experience in their natural environment.