Organizing readings and book recommendations for the second half of the course.
Transition to new subjects like sexual behavior, aggression, competition, cooperation, etc.
Strategy: analyze behaviors across species, examining various time points leading up to behaviors (e.g., brain activity, environmental triggers, hormone levels, genetics).
Key themes: interactions between categorical buckets and chronic hormonal effects on behavior.
Sexual Behavior
Proximal vs Distal Explanations:
Proximal: Feels good (immediate senses and feedback).
Distal: Passing on genes, evolutionary purposes.
General Patterns in Sexual Behavior:
Fixed action patterns in various species (e.g., pelvic thrusting, orgasms, lordosis reflexes).
Species-specific behaviors to ensure mating with the same species.
Ethological Principles:
Studying animals in their natural setting to understand behaviors.
Key Terms:
Libido: Sexual arousal and motivation.
Proceptivity: Active behaviors attracting a mate.
Receptivity: Passive acceptance of advances.
Attractivity: How attractive an individual is to potential mates.
Human-Specific Sexual Behaviors:
Non-reproductive sex: Also observed in Bonobos and some dolphins.
Introduction of complex behaviors (e.g., mastubration, fantasy, marriage and monogamy).
Neurobiology of sexual behavior: Limbic system's role in regulating sexual behaviors, with specific roles for the hypothalamus, amygdala, and other areas in both sexes.
Differences in sexual behaviors across genders.
Hormonal Responses to Sexual Behavior:
Release of oxytocin and vasopressin forming bonds in females and males respectively.
Dopamine's role in reward and pleasure.
Differences in testosterone and androgen levels affecting behaviors and responses.
Social and biological implications of hormones and neurobiology (monogamy, attraction, etc).
Neurobiology of Sexual Orientation
Key Study: Size of a hypothalamic nucleus varies in gay vs straight men.
Finger Ratio and Auto-acoustic Reflex: Differences between straight and gay individuals.
Transsexuality: Brain structures matching gender identity rather than biological sex.
Pheromonal Communication
Role of Pheromones: Sexual attraction and arousal, carrying species-specific information.
Generating and Perceiving Pheromones: Affected by hormones.
Perfumes: Often developed from male sweat and pheromones; marketed towards women.
Environmental (sensory) Triggers: Visual, tactile, and olfactory cues releasing fixed action patterns of sexual behavior in various species.
Conclusion
Transition to understanding behaviors triggered by environmental stimuli and pheromones.