ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is on a putative class of stimuli commonly termed “pheromones.” Pheromones are said to differ from other chemical stimuli in having been evolved to transfer specific information among conspecifics critical for sexual, agonistic, and other forms of social behavior, as well as for altering the reproductive processes of the recipient (e.g., the age of puberty, the timing of estrus, and ova implantation). Although nearly a half-century has elapsed since the pheromone term was coined, few substances considered to be pheromones have been chemically identified and there is still a legitimate question as to the utility of the pheromone concept in describing or explaining chemically mediated social behaviors and endocrine responses of vertebrates. How is one to identify a pheromone? Are there generally accepted criteria for making such an identification? Does evoking the pheromone concept add to our understanding of the behaviors or endocrine responses of interest? The goal of this chapter is to explore these issues. Largely because of space limitations, this review is not inclusive. A broader set of examples, as well as an exploration of the question as to whether humans possess pheromones,* is presented
*The reader is referred to a number of recent critiques of studies of menstrual synchrony and the concept of human pheromones (Arden and Dye, 1998; Schank, 2000, 2001; Strassmann, 1999; Whitten, 1999; Wilson, 1992; Wöhrmannj-Repenning, 2000).
