ATYPICAL SEX CHROMOSOMES PATTERNS

Question 1

sex chromozones

Answer 1

• Any sex chromosome pattern that deviates from the usual XX/XY formation is referred to as atypical.
• Psychologists can compare people with typical to people with atypical sex chromosome patterns, and make inferences about whether or not differences in gender are biological.

Question 2

Klinefelter’s syndrome

Answer 2

• (KS) is a condition that occurs in men due to an extra X chromosome (XXY).
• It’s not usually not diagnosed until puberty- where the boy’s testicles fail to grow normally. KS can be
  detected prenatally through genetic tests on cells collected from amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
• Some of the physical characteristics include: breast development at puberty,underdeveloped genitals.
• Some of the Psychological characteristics include: passive/shy ,and lack of interest in sexual activity. T

Question 3

Turner’s syndrome

Answer 3

• (TS) is a condition that occurs in females due to having one
  X sex chromosome (XO).
• Diagnosis can take place later when puberty does not occur. Sometimes diagnosis is made at birth because of heart problems, an unusually wide neck or swelling of the hands/feet.
• It can be tested prenatally through genetic tests on cells collected from amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
• Some of the physical characteristics include: Irregular periods and infertility, and webbed neck.
• Some psychological characteristics include: higher than average verbal/reading ability, and socially immature

Question 4

A strength of research into individuals with ASCP is its contribution to the Nature-Nurture debate (NND).

Answer 4

• For example, people with TS tend to have a higher level of verbal ability than typical females.
• This suggests that these differences have a biological basis resulting from the abnormal chromosomal structure.
• This is an advantage as it improves our understanding of the NND and suggests that innate influences have a powerful effect on psychology and gendered behaviour.
• However, a problem research is only correlational and there could be a third variable such as the environment.
• For example, girls with TS may act socially immature due to the way others respond to their physical maturity, suggesting the
  environment plays a big role in gender development.
• Therefore the research is limited

Question 5

A limitation of research into individuals with ASCP to explain gender development it’s an unusual sample.

Answer 5

• For example, KS affects between 1 in 500 and TS affects about 1 in 2000.
• These individuals cannot be used to represent or explain GD in the wider, more typical population as it is likely that they will have experienced different treatment to their peers due to their appearance which could have impacted their gender development.
• The same may not be true for people with typical sex chromosome patterns.
• This is a disadvantage as research cant be generalised to the wider population as the sample is unrepresentative of the typical M/F and their gender development.
• Furthermore, it can be argued that this ‘different treatment’ is the third variable that links genetics and differences in gendered behaviours.

Question 6

A strength of research into individuals with ASCP is that it has practical applications.

Answer 6

• For example, Herlihy showed that people who were identified and treated with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) from a very young age had significant benefits (both physically and psychologically) compared to thosewho were diagnosed in adulthood.
• Understanding the symptoms of atypical sex chromosomes means
  that speech therapy and educational support can help children with KS who have learning difficulties.
• Further research will increase the likelihood of early diagnosis and an increased understanding of the issues faced by those with the syndromes.
• This is an advantage as it increases the quality of life as well as potentially increasing our understanding of atypical gender development

Question 7

A limitation of research into individuals with ASCP is that it’s based on the assumption that there are distinct gender differences between males and females.

Answer 7

• Yet, Maccoby and Jacklin identified significantly more differences within the sexes than between them, questioning whether there are in fact typical behaviours.
• If research into atypical chromosome patterns is to contribute to the nature-nurture debate then we are assuming that we can compare atypical and typical gender behaviours.
• The evidence above contradicts this assumption. Such assumptions are the result of the social construction that men and
  women are completely different and conclusions drawn from research into atypical individuals would be an example of alpha bias.
• This is a disadvantage as research may have only a limited role in helping further our understanding of sex and gender