FACTOR-ANALYSES OF MEASURES OF COPULATORY-BEHAVIOR IN 3 SPECIES OF MUROID RODENTS

Data on the copulatory behavior of 312 laboratory rats mating in 3 tests, 100 house mice mating in 3 tests, and 65 deer mice mating in 2 tests were analyzed by correlational and factor analytic techniques. A substantial number of statistically significant intercorrelations among measures were found for each of the species. The 4 factors proposed by B. D. Sachs (1978) (initiation, copulatory rate, hit rate, and intromission count) were found to have considerable generality when tested across sample size, strain, repeated testing, number of ejaculatory series, and species. An additional factor, intromission duration, emerged in the complex copulatory pattern of house mice. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.