Effects of sexual reinforcement upon the performance of male rats in a straight runway.

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Abstract
Male rats were trained to run down a straight alley to reach a receptive female and engage in sexual relations. After running speeds had become asymptotic the males were castrated and testing was continued. Sexual reactions were gradually eliminated and concurrently the time taken to traverse the alley increased. When mating responses had disappeared the castrated males were subjected to daily injections of testosterone propionate and their behavior in the alley was observed. As coital activity was restored, running speeds increased to preoperative levels. Various controls indicated that time to traverse the alley was related to the reinforcing effects of sexual reward and not directly dependent upon the presence or absence of testicular hormone.