The hormonal induction of behavior.

Abstract

The tendency of modern psychology to emphasize peripheral rather than central mechanisms, because of their greater ease of objective approach, has led to a theory that, in reproductive activities, the hormones exert their effects on behavior through the genital tract, while the nerve centers merely transmit afferent impulses from these hormone-sensitive tissues. The exptl. evidence indicates, however, that in many mammals the typical reproductive activities can occur without reinforcement from the viscera most concerned. The evidence strongly suggests a direct action of the hormones on the brain stem, but the crucial experiment has yet to be performed.