Abstract
Male rats acquired and maintained a leverpressing response when access to an estrous female was the response-contingent event. Leverpressing showed schedule-appropriate temporal patterns, and each intromission was followed by an interval in which no leverpresses were emitted. The copulatory behavior under the leverpress requirement was compared to the behavior of these same Ss when allowed free access to a receptive female. Consistent increases in intromission frequency and decreases in mean interintromission intervals during free tests suggested that the leverpress requirement produced an “enforced interval effect.”
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This research was supported by Grant No. GB-12941 from NSF to D. A. Dewsbury and Grant No. 15901 from NIMH to E. F. Malagodi. Hormones were provided through the courtesy of Dr. Preston L. Perlman of the Schering Corporation.
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Jowaisas, D., Taylor, J., Dewsbury, D.A. et al. Copulatory behavior of male rats under an imposed operant requirement. Psychon Sci 25, 287–290 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335879
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335879