Topography of Sexually Conditioned Behavior in Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Depends on the CS-US Interval

C. K. Akins, M. Domjan, G. Gutiérrez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

70 Scopus citations

Abstract

The interval between exposure to a conditioned stimulus (CS) to male quail and access to a female (the unconditioned stimulus [US]) was varied from 0.5 to 20 min using a Pavlovian delayed conditioning procedure. Increasing the CS-US interval altered the spatial distribution of sexual conditioned behavior. With a short CS-US interval (1 min), conditioning resulted in the Ss remaining close to the CS and increasing their locomotor behavior near the CS. With a long CS-US interval (20 min), the Ss approached the CS to some degree, but their locomotor behavior was increased in areas farther removed from the CS. Results are interpreted within the context of a behavior systems approach to the study of learning and indicate that the typical finding of an inverse relation between conditioned responding and the CS-US interval may be an artifact of the use of a limited range of behavioral measures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-209
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes
Volume20
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1994

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Topography of Sexually Conditioned Behavior in Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Depends on the CS-US Interval'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this