[G] Hormonal factors Flashcards
When are hormones produced?
Prenatally and in adolescence.
What do all foetuses look like during prenatal development?
Females, with female genitalia.
When does testosterone kick in?
At around three months old, female genitalia shrivels away .
What is androgential syndrome?
When excessive levels of testosterone are present in the womb, causing an XX female to develop with male genitalia but still possessing ovaries.
How can the role of hormones be studied?
By studying intersex individuals.
How are male brains different to female brains?
Males are better at spatial navigation and females are better at emphasising and expressing their feelings.
What makes males more aggressive?
High testosterone levels during puberty.
What did Diamond find?
Testosterone injected into pregnant rats caused the babies to develop male genitalia and behave like males, even though they were originally females.
What did Diamond find?
Testosterone injected into pregnant rats caused the babies to develop male genitalia and behave like males, even though they were originally females.
What did Jost find?
Removal of the ovaries of a baby rabbit means that the embryo still develops as female, but removal of the testes results in the embryo reverting to female.
What did Young find?
A female monkey exposed to male hormones prenatally was found to engage in more rough play as a youngster and had masculinised genitalia.
Give three strengths of the hormonal explanation of gender.
- Focuses on nature side of debate.
- Possible to completely rule out nurture side of debate using animal studies.
- Offers a scientific explanation for gender, which can be tested and proved.
Give three weaknesses of the hormonal explanation of gender.
- Reductionist.
- Animal studies are unethical and not generalisable.
- Only considers nature side of the debate and does not consider environmental influences.
