Sign tracking versus goal tracking in the sexual conditioning of male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Pairings of a conditioned (CS) and unconditioned (US) stimulus can result in approach to either the CS (sign tracking) or the US (goal tracking). Increasing the spatial or temporal separation between the CS and a US food has been reported to result in a decline in sign tracking and an increase in goal tracking. In the present experiments, sign tracking was the predominant response of male quail (Coturnix japonica) to a CS that was presented up to 91 cm from the door through which a female was presented as the US (Experiment 1). Contrary to reported results with food reinforcement, goal tracking was not facilitated by increasing the spatial separation between the CS and US (Experiment 2) or by introducing a trace interval between them (Experiment 3). The preponderance of sign tracking may reflect an adaptive specialization of sexual conditioning or may be related to the absence of magazine training and the use of a moving US in the sexual conditioning procedures.