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Biological Psychology > sex > Flashcards

sex Flashcards

1
Q

proceptive

A

referring to a state where a female advertises her readiness to mate through species typical behaviour

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2
Q

sexual attraction

A

women peaks during fertility - for most species coapulation is not possible without the womens cooperation

mysterious

can also be because of same place at the same time

first stage in bringing male and famales together

animals emit stimuli that attract members of the opposite sex

also many associate it with being ready to reproduce

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3
Q

appetitive behaviour

A

actively doing something that makes sex more probable

for humans it could be getting dressed up and going to the club

appetite for sex

behaviours designed to attract mates (proceptive)

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4
Q

consummatory behaviour

A

corresponds to copulation or coitus in many species

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5
Q

postcopulatory behaviour

A

characteristic post-coital behaviours, often associated with diminished sexual appetitie for some period of time

cleaning up

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6
Q

refractory period

A

for awhile after copulation, males and/or females will not mate again

varies greatly between species

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7
Q

coolidge effect

A

refractory period is considerably shortened if a refractory animal is provided with a novel partner
- will mate sooner if with a new partner

especially true of males, but also some females

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8
Q

Heat/estrus

A

a period of greatly increased sexual receptivity

receptivity is low or absent outside of estrus

often coincides with ovulation, or whatever conditions are necessary for reproduction

at the same time as ova being spread
female often the one to choose when coapulation takes place

some species will not have sex outside this period

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9
Q

copulatory lock

A

remarkable adaptation - male’s penises swell and lock into place for awhile

can be a firm lock

maximizes the probability of paternity, minimizes copulation by other rival males

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10
Q

ring doves

A

male courts female through bowing

femle wing flips if sight of good male causing hormonal changes in female - if seperated by glass and can only see each other

makes male excited, so he starts making a nest

makes woman excited and she is ready to incubate and feed, egg lay

each stage has a hormonal correlate that is largely controlled by the behaviour of the other mate

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11
Q

lordosis

A

a female’s receptive posture

four legged animals in which hindquarters are raised and the tail is turned to one side, facilitating intromission by the male

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12
Q

estrogen

A

secreted at high levels at beginning of ovulatory cycle and gives rise to proceptive behaviour

peaks before ovulation

stimulate production of testoterone

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13
Q

progesterone

A

sudden increase before ovulation maximizes proceptive behaviours and lordosis (receptive behaviour)

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14
Q

ovariectomy

A

eliminates sexual responses

lordosis can be partially restored through estrogen replacements

behaviour requires both hormones

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15
Q

vaginal code (cervicohypothalamic projection)

A

need penis hitting the cervix - mechanical stimulation - will signal to hypothalamus to get ready for pregnancy

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16
Q

pseudopregnancy

A

females mated with castrated males (receiving replacement testosterone) get the usual vaginal/ cervical stimulation, and hence undergo the hormonal changes (prolactin releases)

such females show all the concomitants of pregnancy for quite some time afterwards - their bodies appeared to be fooled into thinking that they are pregnant

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17
Q

induced ovulation

A

females of some species do not ovulate until mating occurs

such animals tend to be continually receptive or easily become receptive under the correct conditions

ie/ ovulation is stimulated when rats have their flanks stimulated

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18
Q

induced puberty

A

female shrews do not even go through puberty until their first copulation - no secretion of gonadotrops until first coapulation

they will go through puberty and get pregnant all in one fell swoop - quite economical

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19
Q

behavioural estrus

A

occurs when an animal has been exposed first to estrogen and then progesterone

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20
Q

periaqeductal gray

A

lesions greatly diminish lordosis

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21
Q

Human Ovarian cycle

A
  1. FSH stimulates maturation of follicle
  2. secretion of estrogen from maturing follicle causes LH secretion
  3. LH secretion causes ovulation, then causes ruptured follicle to be a corpus luteum
  4. corpus luteum secrete estrogen and progesterone, preparing uterus for pregnancy
  5. without fertilization production of sex hormones declines, and menstruation begins again

in rats the luteal phase has to be induced, in humans it is spontaneous

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22
Q

testosterone

A

drives most of male sexual behaviour
- males who fail to produce testosterone in puberty, do not show signs of sexual interest, additional testosterone also shows no effect

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23
Q

testosterone in a rat

A

castrated males stop ejaculating within weeks

castrates stop mounting

t is cleared within hours, yet caustration effects are slow, suggesting structural changes

replacement of missing T restores the copulatory behaviour pretty much immediately

this is an example of the activational effect of testosterone

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24
Q

permissive function of testosterone

A

the presence of testosterone in a male allows sexual behaviour but does not cause it

presence of testosterone changes sexual activity under the right circumstances

only a tiny amount of T is needed to maintain fully normal sexual behaviour. increasing it does not increase sexual behaviour or change it in any way

excess T produced by males underlies agression and territorial in rats. linear relationship between T and agression. but not in humans

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25
Q

duds and studs

A

duds make T, and giving them extra T does not turn them into studs

castrated male rats given replacement T are much the same, a tiny does of T restores the studs to their former studliness- and no amount of T will studlify a Dud

serotonin may be responsible for dudliness

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26
Q

kinsey report

A

first descriptive info

revelations about masturbation, homosexuality

first realization that humans are engaging in this

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27
Q

masters and johnson

A

studies the physiology and phenomenology of human copulation

among other things gave physiological evidence of female orgasm being very similar to the male orgasm.

for orgasm, men ejaculation, women coapulation

describes the physiological correlates of each phase in coapulation: increase excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution

described huge variability in sexual positions among hums

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28
Q

INAH3 (3RD INTERSTITUAL NUCLEUS OF THE ANTERIOR HYPOTHALAMUS)

A

much larger in men than women

much larger in heterosexual men than in homosexual men

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29
Q

suprachiasmatic nucleus

A

involved in rhythms

differs between hetero and homo men

homosexual men have reported different light/dark levels

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30
Q

effects of sexual behaviour on CNS

A

castrates with T implant

copulators paired with female for 30 days

non coapulators - no access to femal

result: experience of having sex changed the brain.
- SNB diffs between groups
- must be due to behaviour, not hormone

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31
Q

gay man hand

A

index finger and ring finger same size

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32
Q

gay woman hand

A

ring finger bigger than index

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33
Q

fraternal birth order effect

A

carrying male uterus changes subsequent babies orientation

if you have three or more brothers (more likely to be gay), this increases with more older brothers

34
Q

F-series prostaglandins

A

released as part to ovulation in goldfish

pheremone, attracts males to mate - highly adaptive for males to be sensitive to F prostaglandins

35
Q

vomeronasal organ

A

have olfactory organs that sense pheromones

a secondary olfactory organ, air can be directed to it for direction of pheromones

36
Q

fighting in male mice

A

controlled almost entirely from pheromones (urine)

directly controlled by olfactory cues - androgen metabolites in strange male’s urine provokes agression

this is an attempt by the resident male to limit mating in rivals

37
Q

the bruce effect

A

pregnant female mice, of they detect a strange male’s scent, will spontaneously abort and resorb the fetuses

other species do this too

very adaptive - if the father is gone, the new male will not care for the pips, or may attack them

the female does not lose the protein, thus not too costly to resorb

38
Q

menstrual synchrony

A

the mcclintock effect. What signal is being passed between women

women living together tend to menstruate at the same time. pheronomal?

some vestige of a hominid adaptation - perhaps an anti-predator strategy - likely predator can not eat all the babies, more probability of yours staying alive

prsumably mediated by pheromones - humans DO have a vomeronasal organ

simple exposure to sweat from another woman can produce synchronixation

39
Q

andron

A

perfumes based on sex steroid fragments

40
Q

parthenogenesis

A

asexual, virgin birth

in some species, there are only females and no exchange of gametes

offspring is essentially clones

evolution still occurs - beneficial mutations may arise spontaneously, and if they prolong the life of the animal, more offspring with that gene will be born

since each offspring a nearly 100% copy of the parent, the parent’s inclusive fitness should be very high

41
Q

sexual reproduction

A

more common, yet only 50 percent transmission of genes to offspring, so how is inclusive fitness maximized?

gamete-swapping allows for rapid joining of beneficial mutations from 2 genetic lines - gives a sort of accelerated adaptation
- produce more successful offspring - we are products of many successful offspring

42
Q

variable strategies

A

some species can switch between sexual and asexual reproduction in response to local environmental constraints - if only a few offspring will be able to survive, best that genes be swapped in hopes of getting good mutations

aphids - decide for asexual or sexual based on environment - for survival

43
Q

hermaphroditism

A

make both types of gametes

true ones contain both male and female sex organs, make both sorts of gametes and reproduce sexually by swapping sperm with neighbours

sexual reproduction may have arisen from cheating in hermaphroditic systems

counter adaptation would be to picky about sperm, increasing fitness of offspring and not needing to invest showy ornaments, agression etc etc

44
Q

serial hermaphrodites

A

make both types of gametes at different points in life - when they get older switch from ova to sperm

species that have the capability of switching sex when they get older

much more common for female to switch to male

larger males dominate a harem of smaller females

if the male is removed, largest female may rapidly begin to change into a male is she/he can sucessfully dominate the harem, inclusive fitness goes up

smaller females do not have this motive, because they will be unable to defeat invading males

45
Q

monomorphic

A

males and females same

46
Q

dimorphic

A

males and females different

47
Q

polymorphic

A

pronounced and profound

48
Q

competing goals

A

males typically make small cheap, motile sperm, and frequent mating without investment maximizes their inclusive fitness

females make few expensive ova (investing in quality), invest an enormous amount in gestation and perental care

females thus motivated to get their best quality sperm and wherever possible to get a direct investment by the father

49
Q

parental investment

A

may be food collection, rearing, warding off predators etc

especially important in humans, and other species where offspring are helpless

may explain more or less absence of estrus and continual receptivity in human females - males don’t know when they are fertilizing an egg, so they have to stay around to be sure of breeding

50
Q

promiscuity

A

both females have numerous mates

this allows for sperm competition (intense competition in a women’s genetal tract)

51
Q

polygyny

A

multiple females

one male mating with numerous females

often in forms of harems

differs from promiscuity in that females do not have access to multiple males

sort of a compromise - male gets numerous matings, females get quality stock and a degree of paternal investment

very common i mammals, and in many human societies

52
Q

polyandry

A

multiple males

one female, many males

males do not have access to other females

pretty uncommon strategy - because of nature of ova and sperm

where does it occur, you usually find the males less decorative than the females, smaller and provide more of the paternal care

females compete for males and abandon offsprig to males care

53
Q

monogamy

A

one male, one female

more stable in species with very altrical young

considerable pressure to cheat, either for males to get additional matings or for females to select the best sperm

uncertainty of paternity - potent force, because males are making such a large investment

54
Q

sexual differentiation

A

is the process by which a largely-undifferentiated embryo of a species turns into either a female or a male

begins before birth in mammal

55
Q

sex determination

A

provided by the sex chromosomes

56
Q

indifferent gonads

A

undifferentiated gonads of the early mammilian fetus, which will eventually develop into testes

resemble both

57
Q

step one in sexual differentiation

A

Sry gene expression

occurs by embryonic week 7

Sry is part of the Y chromosome - responsible for development of the testes

codes for a hormone called Sry protein

therefore if a Y is present, this hormone is produced. if there is no Y, the default condition is no hormone (develops into ovary)

58
Q

step two of sexual differentiation

A

in the embryo of humans and other species, the primordial gonad is undifferentiated or bipotential. that is, there is a general purpose gonad that is neither a testicle of ovary

if Sry protein is present after week 7 (humans), it will direct the primordial gonad to develop into a testes

if there is no Sry protein present, the primordial gonad will develop into an ovary. this is the basis of the statement that the default human is female - maleness is imposed upon a female template

testes begin to make testosterone immediately

ovaries in contrast, do not produce hormones at first

59
Q

genital tubercle

A

in early fetus, a “bump” between the legs that develops into a clitoris or penis

60
Q

step 3 of sexual differentiation

A

around week 10

fetus has both male and female system of ducts from gonads to outside world

61
Q

mullerian system

A

sytem that provides the basis of a female reproductive tract

62
Q

wolffian system

A

provides the basis of a male tract

63
Q

if the testes develop during sexual differentiation

A

testes secrete testosterone and mullerian regression hormone (MRH)

MRH causes mullerian structures to deteriorate, and the wolffian system develops, under control of T

some peripheral tissue, especially epithelium, contains enzyme 5 alpha reductase - converts T to extra potent dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

prostate develops under T control

64
Q

dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

A

masculinizes the external genitalia into penis, scrotum

65
Q

if the ovaries develop during sexual differentiation

A

no T is present, no MRH is present and by default the wolffian system deteriorates

mullerian system develops into female internal structures

peripheral tissue develops into labia and clitoris

66
Q

Srx

A

XX females, but one X also has Sry region tacked on

develop in XX with testes - male looking

produce nonfunctional sperm

67
Q

turner’s syndrome

A

only one sex chromosome, an X ( can not have a single Y)

defaults to a famale

emphasized language skills

underdeveloped ovaries - no SRY gene available

68
Q

congenital adrenal hyperplasia

A

adrenal produce too little cortisol, so pituitary secretes ton of ACTH

exposing female fetus to androgens, resulting in partial masculinations

adrenals enlarges and output of androstenedione is way up

intersex genitals result - can be corrected

may produce tomboy behaviour

intersex appearance (size between clitoris and penis)

will not effect males - already have enough testosterone

69
Q

androgen insensitivity syndrome

A

XY’s who are insensitive to their own testoterone

caused by an androgen receptor gene mutation that makes tissue insensitive to T (cant respond to it)

they develop the default female body, including functioning clitoris

they make MRH, so they lack internal genitalia

70
Q

hormone organization effect

A

early effects of hormones on the nervous system

permanent

71
Q

hormone activation effect

A

effect of sex hormones in “switching on” behaviour in adults

transient

72
Q

sensitive period in hormones

A

there is often a finite perinatal “window” during which time a hormone may exert its organizational effect

a post-natal sensitive period is more probable in altricial species than in pecocious species

73
Q

early T

A

T imposes male patterns of behaviour on the female default

early exposure to T is critical for this ( in mammals)

74
Q

defeminization

A

perinatal T treatment in females

decreased or abolished lordosis in adulthood

75
Q

masculinization

A

perinatal treatment in either females or castrated males

adult T treatment

results in male copulatory behaviour - mounts, intromissions and ejactulations

76
Q

demasculization

A

castration, especially if early in development results in diminished or absent male sexual behaviour

in the case of early castration, adult T replacement cannot reverse the effect

77
Q

feminization

A

perinatal castration

adult treatment with estrogen and progesterone

results in normal lordosis in the castrated males

78
Q

aromatase

A

enzyme that helps T to be converted to a significant extent in the brain, into estradiol

this then acts of estrogen receptors in the brain and produces a masculinization

79
Q

alphafetoprotein

A

circulates in blood and sequesters estrogens - can’t reach the brain

does not affter T

80
Q

aromatization hypothesis

A

in early castrates, treatment with DHT demasculinizes the brain and adult T cannot provoke copulation. DHT cannot be aromatized

if early castrates treated with EB instead, show normal copulatory responses to T in adulthood, despite micropenis (due to the lack of DHT in developent)

less true of primates

81
Q

SNB and angogenital licking

A

mums lick this region of male pups more than female pups

anosmic mums, who can not differentiate males from females lick less

82
Q

ventromedial hypothalamus

A

involved in sexual behaviours, eating and agression

contains estrogen and progesterone - sensitive neurons

crucial for lordosis - lesions abolish the response

estradiol implanted directly induce receptivity in females

Biological Psychology (6 decks)

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