Object permanence in ring doves (Streptopelia risoria).

Object permanence tests were administered to ring doves (Streptopelia risoria). In Experiment 1 (N?=?4), doves received tests in which a food cup was moved behind a screen as the subject watched. The birds successfully retrieved the food when a single screen was used but failed to do so when food was displaced behind 1 of 2 simultaneously present screens. In Experiment 2 (N?=?4), doves were allowed to initiate search movement before the object disappeared behind 1 of 2 screens. This procedural change improved performance. In Experiment 3 (N?=?2), a screen was lowered over a stationary object as the subject approached the object. Lowering the screen interrupted search behavior temporarily without impairing performance. It is argued that interruption of search behavior requires some cognitive flexibility that the typical Stage 4a capacity described in Piaget's theory does not include. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Timing of incubation bouts by ring doves (Streptopelia risoria).

Three experiments, with 20 pairs of ring doves, evaluated the role of the sexes in determining nest exchange, approaches to the nest, and the timing of incubation behavior, and the topography of interactions at the nest site were continuously monitored. Most nest exchanges (87%) were initiated by the nonsitting mate. There was less variability associated with the onset of sitting by the female than by the male. The male entered the nest area repeatedly from the time of lights-on until nest exchange several hours later. In contrast, the female rarely entered the nest area when the male was sitting, and when she did approach, nest exchange usually ensued. When the male's entrances to the nest area were prevented until the usual time of nest exchange, the timing of the subsequent sitting bout and nest exchange was not altered, which indicates that male visits are not a necessary prerequisite for nest exchange. Each pair developed a cooperative interaction as incubation progressed. When mates were exchanged among physiologically synchronized pairs, a serious disruption of sitting resulted. It is concluded that behavioral synchrony between the mates in the form of each pair's bond is as necessary as physiological synchrony in maintaining intermate cooperation in parental behavior of ring doves. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contribution of nesting experience to progesterone-induced incubation in ring doves (Streptopelia risoria).

Examined whether exposure of 60 ring doves to progesterone during the nest-building phase would be sufficient to account for the ability of progesterone to induce incubation at a later time or whether some other factor provided by nest-building experience with this phase of the cycle would be needed. Six groups of 10 pairs of Ss each were provided with different combinations of experience and progesterone priming. Progesterone priming (100 μg for 4 days), combined with social isolation or with courtship experience, had no significant effect on subsequent progesterone-induced incubation. However, Ss that participated in the nesting phase of the cycle during progesterone priming later incubated in response to progesterone treatment. Nesting activity, which did or did not include building the nest, seemed to be the relevant experience. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational influences underlying prolactin-induced feeding in doves (Streptopelia risoria).

Prolactin (Prl) increases food consumption in ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) and may promote the hyperphagia exhibited by parent doves when provisioning young. These experiments tested whether Prl also enhances appetitive aspects of feeding behavior. Prl elevated pecking rates in food-restricted doves on a variable-interval (VI) reinforcement schedule and supported continued responding when doves were returned to ad-lib feeding. Prl-treated doves learned the key-pecking response when food intake was clamped at ad-lib levels exhibited before Prl treatment but not when given free access to food. Median break points on a progressive ratio schedule were 2–3 times greater in food-restricted doves than Prl-treated, food-clamped doves even though response rates were similar on VI schedules. These results indicate that Prl enhances appetitive aspects of feeding, although food restriction at the level imposed in this study was more effective in this regard. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of nest-building activity in gonadotropin secretions and the reproductive success of ring doves (Streptopelia risoria).

Investigated the intricate relations between prelaying nest-building activity and preovulatory hormonal changes, and the effects of these events on breeding success. 40 pairs of ring doves were allowed to go through a complete breeding cycle under 4 conditions of nest-building opportunity. Nests were self-made, pre-made, pre-made and covered, or removed daily to generate various levels of building activity. Behavioral and hormonal changes were observed throughout the cycle. Blood levels of gonadotropins were monitored by daily measurements with the method of radioimmunoassay. A depression of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) typically was associated with every preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone (LH); an LH surge not accomplished by a FSH dip was not followed by ovulation. Moreover, the FSH depression was significantly correlated with the level of nest-building activity. It is proposed that nest-building activity stimulated preovulatory FSH change and, hence, ovulation. The constructed nest, in turn, appeared to promote incubation behavior. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social dynamics of group courtship behavior in male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis).

Examined the social dynamics of the formation of mating balls (gatherings of males) during the mating period of red-sided garter snakes to determine whether the mating balls are formed simply because of a common attraction to the female or whether males are stimulated by the mating balls themselves. Nine test males and 9 stimulus females were used in tests, along with 55 other males, to measure the effect of other courting males. Results show that male Ss courted females more actively when other males were also courting the female than when they were alone with her, suggesting that the female is more attractive to the male when courted by other males. A positive correlation was observed between the number of additional males present and the amount of courtship activity shown by the test male toward the stimulus female. The extent to which the courtship activity of the test males was stimulated by the presence of additional courting males was not influenced by how actively the additional males courted. Results suggest that males are intrinsically stimulated by mating balls. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Form of early pecking in the ring dove squab (Streptoplia risoria): An examination of the preformation hypothesis.

Investigated the components of pecking in adult and squab ring doves. A very precise gape transduction system was used to collect normative data and examine the hypothesis that food pecking develops prefunctionally, that is, without related experience. In Exp 1, adult gapes were characterized as a function of pellet size. In Exp 2, squab's gapes during early attempts to feed were examined. These gapes were not very similar to the adult form and were poorly coordinated with head thrusts. In Exp 3, contributions of maturation to the development of the food peck were assessed. Squab raised on powdered grain received Pavlovian pairings of the sight of whole grain with feedings. Induced pecks had gapes that were not similar to the adult form and displayed poor coordination with thrust. It is concluded that task-specific experience is needed for the development of the adult food peck. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neural mediation of estrogen-dependent courtship behavior in female ring doves.

Investigated the role played by the preoptic-hypothalamic region in the mediation of female ring dove courtship behavior. In Exp I, 43 ovariectomized Ss were tested in response to estradiol benzoate (EB) injections both before and after preoptic area (POA), posterior medial hypothalamus (PMH), or sham lesions. Only the PMH group's behavior significantly declined following lesions. Exp II, with 46 Ss, examined whether intracranial EB implants would be effective in stimulating courtship behavior in ovariectomized Ss. Unilateral EB implants were placed throughout the hypothalamic region, including rostral to the anterior preoptic and caudal to the PMH. Implants in the PMH were most effective in stimulating behavior. Results indicate the importance of the PMH in mediation of estrogen-dependent courtship behavior and are analogous to recent findings concerning the role of the ventromedial hypothalamus in mammalian female sexual behavior. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gonadal hormone activation of male courtship ultrasonic vocalizations and male copulatory behavior in castrated male deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi).

Examined the influence of testosterone (T), a 5-alpha-reduced metabolite of T (dihydrotestosterone), and an aromatized metabolite of T (estradiol) on 35-kHz ultrasonic calling and copulatory behavior by 72 male deer mice. Daily treatment with T propionate (TP), dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP), or estradiol benzoate (EB) restored ultrasonic calling in long-term castrated Ss. Both TP and DHTP restored copulatory behavior, but EB was ineffective. Synergism of EB and DHTP action was observed; when subthreshold doses of EB (1 μg/day) and DHTP (50 μg/day) were administered in combination, ultrasonic calling and copulatory behavior were activated. In relation to other comparative findings, results indicate that the degree to which male sexual behavior is facilitated by 5-alpha-reduced androgens and/or estrogens is influenced by the species and the particular pattern of masculine behavior under consideration. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of Fos-like immunoreactivity in the brains of parent ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) given tactile and nontactile exposure to their young.

Neuronal activation was examined by fos immunohistochemistry in ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) reunited with their young after overnight separation. In an initial study, squab-exposed parents showed more fos immunoreactivity (ir) in the preoptic area (POA) and lateral hypothalamus (LH) than squab-deprived parents. In a 2nd study, parents allowed free access to young and those separated from young by a wire mesh partition showed more fos-ir in the POA, LH, and lateral septum than box-exposed controls. Contact with young also increased fos-ir in the medial preoptic nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, but noncontact exposure did not. Conversely, nontactile squab exposure stimulated more fos-ir in the POA than did free access to young, which suggests POA involvement in appetitive aspects of parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paternal behavior in the male Long-Evans rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Five studies examined the paternal behavior of monogamously housed male and female, individually housed male, and virgin male and female Long-Evans rats. Findings indicate that males cohabiting monogamously with females showed low levels of pup contact and parental behavior, and the frequency of these behaviors did not increase with experience, possibly because the lactating females kept the males away from the pups. When presented with pups in their own cage, sexually experienced and naive males did not differ in the latency or frequency of parental behavior, and both groups showed more parental behavior than monogamously housed males. Males that had formerly exhibited infanticide showed as much parental behavior as noninfanticidal males. The frequency of pup contact and parental behavior increased as the pups grew older. Although virgin males showed the same latency as virgin females to exhibit parental behaviors, females showed these behaviors more frequently than males. Results suggest that the responsiveness of noninfanticidal male rats to infants may depend on the test situation and the age of the infants. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual free behavior in male rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Male rats ( Rattus norvegicus) were given continuous access to estrous female rats for 24 hrs each day for 10 days. During the 1st 12 hrs, the rats achieved an average of 10 ejaculations, followed by a 1- to 2-day period with little sexual activity. During the last 7 days, the rats maintained a reasonably stable equilibrium level of 3 ejaculations per day. These occurred predominantly during the dark phase of the diurnal cycle, they frequently occurred in a cluster, and they usually occurred shortly after the introduction of a novel estrous female. Except for quantitative differences, these results are generally consistent with conventional research but systematically extend the generality of the results to the context of the free behavior situation. The availability of sexual activity had no appreciable effect on food and water intake, but it did decrease the amount of running activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organization of mating behavior in male hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).

Factor analysis was applied to standard measures of sexual behavior in 73 male hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) as they interacted with hormone-primed females. The results suggest that 5 factors, or conceptual mechanisms, function in the organization of the behaviors observed in the first 2 copulatory series. Of these, the 3 that relate to the behaviors in the first copulatory series were compared to those emerging from prior analyses of other rodents. These comparisons revealed similarities and differences in factor structure across species. Whereas all of these analyses identify factors related to the initiation and efficiency of copulatory behavior, hamsters seem to differ from other species in the measures that best define these factors. In addition, the copulatory rate factor that has been prominent in previous analyses of rats seems to be absent in hamsters. These results suggest that male sexual behavior in hamsters is organized differently from that in other rodents. In more general terms, they suggest that even species with generally similar copulatory patterns can show significant differences in behavioral organization, in turn suggesting the need for additional factor analytic studies to better establish the extent of these species differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Estrogen-Progesterone Regulation of Nest-Building and Incubation Behavior in Ovariectomized Ring Doves (Streptopelia risoria)": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by Mei-Fang Cheng and Rae Silver (Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology, 1975[Jan], Vol 88[1], 256-263). The address for the request for reprints should have read "Institute of Animal Behavior, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102." (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1975-08949-001.) Determined the role of ovarian hormones in the induction of nest-building (tucking) and incubation behavior in female doves by systemic injections of estrogen, or progesterone, or estrogen combined with progesterone, or oil in 40 reproductively experienced, ovariectomized Ss. Combined estrogen and progesterone treatment was the most effective hormone regimen for eliciting both behavior patterns in females and also facilitated these behaviors in their 40 untreated mates. Differences in role of the gonadal progesterone in male and female doves are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life-span changes in the copulatory behavior of male rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Studied the copulatory behavior of 36 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-mo old sexually naive male Long-Evans rats during 2-hr tests with receptive females. There was no apparent change in sexual arousal as measured by latency to initiate copulation across age, with Ss from all groups exhibiting comparable latencies to 1st mount and 1st mount with intromission. The numbers of ejaculations achieved were also similar across ages. Significant age differences were found for frequency of mounts, with 20-mo olds having the highest mean frequency. The persistent mounting by older Ss appeared to account for significant group differences in interintromission interval and ejaculation latency. It is suggested that motor deficits may impair the ability of older Ss to achieve intromission, increasing the number of mount bouts as well as the number of mounts for each bout, thus extending the length of each copulatory series. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Olfactory conditioning of sexual behavior in the male rat (Rattus norvegicus).

The role of classical conditioning in the copulatory preferences of male Long-Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus) was examined by pairing a neutral olfactory stimulus (almond odor) with female reproductive status. During training trials, the males were given access to scented or unscented females that were either sexually receptive or unreceptive. Subsequently, copulatory preferences were tested in males given simultaneous access to 2 receptive females, 1 scented and 1 not. Males trained with scented-receptive females displayed an ejaculatory preference for the scented female. Males trained with scented-unreceptive females or with unscented-receptive females displayed an ejaculatory preference for the unscented female. Males displayed no preference when scent and reproductive status were paired randomly. These results demonstrate that classical conditioning produces an ejaculatory preference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serotonin regulation of aggressive behavior in male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).

These studies examined the neurochemistry and neuroanatomy of the serotonin (5-HT) system innervating the anterior hypothalamus (AH) and the interaction of 5-HT receptor agonists with arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the regulation of offensive aggression in golden hamsters. Because specific 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, and AVP V1A binding sites were observed within the AH by in vitro autoradiography, the hamsters were tested for offensive aggression after microinjections of AVP in combination with either the 5-HT1A agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylarnino) tetraline (DPAT) or the 5-HT1B agonist CGS-12066A (CGS) directly within the AH. Though treatment with DPAT resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of AVP-facilitated offensive aggression, CGS was ineffective. In addition, a retrograde tracer was injected within the AH to localize the distribution of 5-HT neurons projecting to the area. Retrogradely labeled 5-HT neurons were found within the dorsal, median, and caudal linear raphe nuclei and are suspected to inhibit AVP-facilitated offensive aggression by an activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the AH. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in the sexual conditioned behavior of male and female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

The conditioned responses of male and female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were compared in a Pavlovian conditioning procedure in which presentation of a brief conditioned stimulus was immediately followed by the release of a copulation partner. Male quail vigorously approached the conditioned stimulus and were much more likely to enter the compartment housing their copulation partner than were female birds (Experiment 1). In females, sexual conditioning resulted in increased squatting (Experiment 2). This response was the reflection of sexual behavior rather than more general social behavior (Experiment 3). These findings provide the first definitive evidence of sexual learning in female quail and are consistent with the interpretation that sexual conditioning increases sexual arousal or receptivity in both sexes but the increase has different behavioral manifestations in male and female quail. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social condition affects the courtship behavior of male ring doves with posterior medial hypothalamic lesions

Following bilateral lesions to the posterior medial hypothalamus (homologue of the mammalian ventromedial nucleus), adult male ring doves regain full courtship behavior and the ability to stimulate female egg-laying when housed continuously with females. Males with PMH lesions housed singly and only tested periodically with females continue to show deficits in courtship. These findings suggest that the social environment present in adulthood itself can directly influence recovery from brain lesions. They also demonstrate the importance of PMH in the mediation of male ring dove courtship behavior.     

Sexual Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior in male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

In 3 studies, a localized visual stimulus presented immediately prior to access to a female conspecific stimulated approach behavior in male Japanese quail after several conditioning trials. Development of this conditioned approach behavior was observed with 2 types of signal lights, 10- and 30-sec signal durations, large and small experimental chambers, and with male Ss housed continually in the conditioning chambers or only placed in the chamber for brief daily sessions. Conditioning also resulted in shorter latencies to initiate copulation in males given access to a female following the signal light, in comparison with males that received access to a female unannounced by the light. Although some aspects of the conditioning experience were retained over a 6-wk interval, some loss of the behavior was also observed. The conditioned behavior also decreased with repeated extinction trials, during which the signal light was presented in the absence of access to a female conspecific. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)