Appetitive Responding and the Female Menstrual Cycle: An Investigation into the Post-Auricular Reflex

A multitude of research supports that fluctuations in fertility and hormonal shifts in normally cycling females influence changes in female sexual strategies, preferences, and desires across the menstrual cycle. Evolutionary theory posits that in order to maximize reproductive benefits, near ovulation female responses to sexual stimuli alter and cues of sex are more appealing. The post-auricular reflex (PAR) is a psychophysiological reaction that has been linked to motivation and reward, emotion, and appetitive responding. The PAR responds to pleasant stimuli, including stimuli that are relevant to evolutionary themes. The purpose of the current study was to explore the nature of the post-auricular reflex, and in particular, to examine potential shifts in motivation and reward processing of sexual and emotional stimuli across the female menstrual cycle. Ovulation blunted PAR responses to non-erotic categories in normally cycling females, while responses to erotica did not significantly decrease across phases of the menstrual cycle. Ovulation was also found to affect female self-report of sexual desire. These shifts were not seen in females using hormonal birth control. The study results suggest that ovulation shifts female priorities towards reproduction by increasing desire and also decreasing motivations for non-mate-relevant activities. The study also demonstrates the need for greater investigation of the PAR and the appetitive responding system.

Grantor dc:publisher

Temple University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Izbicki, Emily Victoria

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Johnson, Kareem
• Hantula, Donald A.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Curby, Kim
• Karpinski, Andrew
• Ellman, Lauren M.
• Marshall, Peter J.

• Psychology
• Psychology, Social
• Appetitive
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Menstrual Cycle
• Motivation
• Ovulation
• Post-auricular Reflex

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Dc Identifier Other

864885351

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/1511