| Abstract: | Permitted 4 female Long-Evans hooded rats to indicate preferred mating partners by giving them operant control over the choice of a pair of sexually active males. Pressing 1 of 2 levers released 1 of the pair of male rats which was then allowed a single sexual contact. It was possible for a female to establish a preference in less than 10 estrous matings. No preference was apparent during diestrus tests, but preference returned when the female was again placed in estrus. When the males released by the levers were rotated in the apparatus, those females showing a preference altered their behavior accordingly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
