Sexual behavior appears to be influenced by learning and experience.
However, it is a relatively unexplored area in the field of learning. Thus, one focus of my research is to investigate Pavlovian conditioning phenomena in the sexual behavior system and to determine the adaptive value of learning in this system. Future research will involve looking at the role of the dopaminergic system on the rewarding effects of sex, using drugs, Psychopharmacological techniques and lesioning techniques. Most of this research is and will be conducted in an avian species, Japanese quail. Much is already known about the neurohormonal mechanisms of sexual behavior in this species and they are ideally suited for sexual conditioned experiments.