Frustration effects upon sexual behavior in male rats

FREIDIN, E.; MUSTACA, A.E.

ANIMAL LEARNING & BEHAVIOR

Año: 2004 vol. 32 p. 311 - 320

0090-4996

Frustration is an emotional state produced by the surprising omission in quantity and/or quality ofan appetitive reinforcer. The aversive properties of stressors, such as electric shocks, produce responses similar to those elicited by a state of frustration. In this set of three experiments, we assessed the effects of water immersion (WIM, in Experiment 1)—that is, a physical  stressor—and first (in Experiments 1 and 2) and second trials of a consummatory extinction (cE; i.e., a surprising reward omission; in Experiment 3) on the sexual behavior of male rats, as compared with nonstressed animals. The results showed a sexual deficit in the animals subjected to either WIM or cE, relative to control subjects, although these experimental conditions differed in the component of the male sexual response that was affected. The present results accord with the fear
frustration hypothesis, and with Amsel’s frustration theory.