Pavlovian Conditioning of Sexual Behavior and Fertility

描述（由申请人提供）：性条件反射已在多种物种中得到证实，但在雄性日本鹌鹑中进行了最广泛的研究。这些研究中的大多数都使用了任意的条件刺激（CS），但最近的实验表明，使用生态相关的女性线索作为CS的结果显着改善男性性条件反射。拟议的实验旨在调查在何种程度上生态相关的男性线索促进女性的性条件反射。这种生态学方法也被扩展到测量条件反应的非传统方法。除了通过测量动物的CS定向反应的变化来评估性条件反射的影响之外，更实用的方法将测量受试者与交配伴侣的相互作用的效率的增加。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。性条件反射已被证明可以提高生育能力，但这种效果背后的具体条件反射机制尚未确定。本实验旨在研究调节条件生育效应的条件参数，条件性行为与生殖成功率增加之间的关系，以及性条件调节在多大程度上可以弥补生育缺陷。与大多数传统的动物学习研究，缺乏生态有效性，本实验将物种的典型线索直接到实验设计。这种生态学方法来研究如何强调动物的繁殖成功，有利于将实验结果应用于动物在自然环境中可能经历的实验室以外的情况。

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.