Neurobiological Mechanisms of Sexual Motivation

Abstract

Lordosis Is a Motivated Behavior. From the reasoning that leads to the identification of “motivation” as an intervening variable, recounted in the first chapter of this book, it is clear that the occurrence of lordosis behavior reflects a motivational state. Ovariectomized female rats not given estrogen or progesterone treatment, though given large numbers of applications of behaviorally adequate somatosensory input through mounts by stud male rats or pressure on the skin by an experimenter, rarely do lordosis. A few days later (before maturational changes could occur), following a schedule of estrogen and progesterone treatment, the same females tested in the same behavioral context respond to the somatosensory stimuli with strong and frequent lordoses. Identifying the intervening variable “sexual motivation” contributes to the explanation of this behavioral change in an input-output manner.