Conditioned inhibition of social approach in male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) using visual exposure to a female.

Male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) learned to approach lights that predicted visual exposure to a female quail and showed significantly less approach to lights that predicted the absence of a female quail. Following discrimination training, subjects were given transfer summation tests in which a stimulus positively correlated with female exposure (CS +) was presented alone, simultaneously with a novel stimulus, and simultaneously with a stimulus negatively correlated with female exposure (CS -). Approach to the CS + was lower when the CS + and CS - were presented together than when the CS + was presented alone or when the CS + was presented with a novel stimulus. These findings demonstrate conditioned inhibition of sexual conditioned approach in Japanese quail.