Penile erection: a reflection of sexual arousal and arousability in male chimpanzees

A study was conducted to determine if sexual motivation in male chimpanzees, defined by the two components, sexual arousal and arousability, could be quantified by measuring penile erection during laboratory pair-tests of sexual behavior. Sexual arousal, the momentary level of sexual excitation, was quantified by single measurements on a scale of penile erection. Sexual arousability, the propensity for arousal, was quantified by the rate of approach to full erection and by mean erection scores. Sexual arousability, as defined, was related to the frequency of male courtship displays, copulations, and ejaculations, which were highest at midcycle and positively correlated with a quantitative measure of female anogenital swelling. Sexual arousal was negatively correlated with continued exposure to the female and least variable during midcycle. These operational definitions of sexual motivation in the male chimpanzee facilitate comparative research in which analogous indexes of sexual motivation are required such as when extrapolating from animal to human.