Hormones and mate choices (4)

Question 1

What is a hormone?

Answer 1

A neurochemical produced by an endocrine gland with specific functions such as regulation and stimulation.

Question 2

What hormones do men and women produce?

Answer 2

• Women produce oestrogen and progesterone.
• Men produce testosterone.

Question 3

How does the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis
work in men? (5 steps)

Answer 3

1. Brain produces neural signals.
2. Hypothalamus releases a Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnHR).
3. The anterior pituitary releases Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinising hormone (LH).
4. FSH and LH act on cells in the testes including Leydig and Sertoli cells.
5. Leydig cells produce testosterone and both feedback to the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary.

Question 4

How does the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis
work in women? (5 steps)

Answer 4

1. Brain produces neural signals.
2. Hypothalamus releases a Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnHR).
3. The anterior pituitary releases Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinising hormone (LH).
4. FSH and LH act on cells in the overies including Leydig and Sertoli cells.
5. Leydig cells produce oestrogen and progesterone and both feedback to the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary.

Question 5

How does the HPG affect the menstrual cycle?

Answer 5

• At menstruation, FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone all sit at similar levels.
• By ovulation, there is a surge in oestrogen and LH.
• At the luteal phase, there is a surge in progesterone. Progesterone thickens the endometrial lining in case of egg fertilisation.

Question 6

What does the challenge hypothesis predict and does it apply to humans?

Answer 6

• It predicts that males pursuing mating opportunities have higher testosterone than males pursuing paternal strategies.
• Yes.

Question 7

What are the effects of testosterone on men’s mate preferences?

Answer 7

Men preferred more feminine faces.

Question 8

What are the effects of progesterone on women’s mate preferences?

Answer 8

Progesterone seems to be downregulating women’s general sexual desire.

Question 9

What does the dual mating hypothesis propose?

Answer 9

It proposes that women’s preferences for uncommitted sexual relationships with men displaying masculinized faces increase during the high-fertility phase of the menstrual cycle.