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I. Introduction and Background
Page 1
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II. The Static Model
Pages 2 - 3
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III. The Dynamic Model
Pages 4 - 5 - 6
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IV. Future Work
Page 7
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Figures 1-6
Pages 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13
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References
Page 14
A moderate attack against a weak opponent is illustrated in Figure 4. In this particular case, the attack is made by a laboratory male against a male opponent; therefore, the androgen level is only moderate and the opponent is only partly unfamiliar. Laboratory males tend to be housed with other males rather than with females so that their androgen levels are not very high; and they tend to share the same diet and bacterial fauna with their opponents so that their body odors are not completely unfamiliar even if they have been isolated from each other within the laboratory. For these reasons, the androgen level is shown as moderate in panel 4-1 and the level of the motivating stimuli are also shown as moderate in 4-2. When the offense motivational mechanism is activated in panel 4-3 its level is also moderate at first. It facilitates the sensory analyzers (panel 4-4), although not as strongly as in the previous example. Eventually, the positive feedback loop of facilitation between the offense motivational mechanism and its motivating stimulus analyzers intensifies their activity (4-4). Approach is the first motor patterning mechanism that is activated because its releasing stimuli are from distance receptors; since it is not a very strong approach (in contrast to the leaping attack of Figure 3), it contains a lateral component and the attacking animal makes lateral tactile contact with the opponent (4-5). The lateral tactile contact activates a sideways posture which is offensive in nature because it also contains a continuing approach component. The continuing approach brings the attacking animal vibrissal contact with the body (4-6) which activates a full aggressive posture with the attacking animal in a position on top of the opponent. This, in turn, produces a new set of releasing stimuli from ventral tactile contact (4-7). Under the influence of these releasing stimuli the animal launches a bite-and-kick attack (4-8). As a result of the activation of the bite-and-kick attack, there is a negative feedback effect which projects back onto the offense motivational mechanism, and this negative feedback temporarily inhibits that mechanism (4-9 and 4-10). Since the facilitative effects are withdrawn from the sensory analyzers, their activation level is also decreased (4-10). A refractory period ensues with the system in the same state as in 4-2. There may be a gradual buildup of offense motivation over the next few minutes, or it may be ended, depending upon the state of the attacking animal and the behavior of its opponent.
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