Sex & Love

2. Sex & Love Objectives: • To introduce sex and love as topics in psychological science • To illustrate the variety of basic processes the contribute to sexual arousal and mate selection • To demonstrate the value of research with laboratory animals in psychologists’ efforts to understand sex and love

3. Learning: Many animals learn to associate cues, such as the place where a mating encounter occurred, with a mate. People, for instance, may learn to associate a song or the smell of a particular perfume with a loved one. In the absence of the person, these cues may trigger a memory of that person and associated bodily responses. Developmental: During development, hormones influence when people (or animals) become attracted to a potential mate. For example, at puberty, the hormone testosterone increases male-typical mating behaviors such as approaching a potential mate (though females do this also). Neuroscience: Brain chemicals influence people to seek things they want, such as romantic love. These brain chemicals are also important for the pleasure that is experienced when we satisfy those wants.

4. Related Readings Online resource on sex and learning: • http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/avc/akins/default.htm Fisher, H. (2004). Why we love. New York: Henry Holt & Co. Scientific American articles: • “The brain in love,” 2004 • “Sex differences in the brain,” 2002