Sex Differences Flashcards
Girls with CAH
Some masculinization
More rough and tumble play
Less maternal care simulation
Less interest in makeup and jewelry
Organizational effects
Permanent changes to exposure to hormones early in life
Activational effect
More reversible
Occur during adulthood when hormones activate previously developed neural circuits
Gender identity
Process where individuals come to view themselves as male or female
Established by 2 years
Sexual orientation
Not much difference found between straight and gay
Perhaps difference in adult neuron doctrine regulatory mechanisms
Why is it hard to study?
Ethics
Can’t obtain blood sample from fetus
Animal models only explain so much
Rams
Studied sexual orientation
10% makes fat
Sexually dimorphic nucleus
Pain
Women are more sensitive Lower threshold, display less tolerance Fewer mu opioid receptors Effect works after puberty Seems to be most painful when estrogen levels drop
Olfaction
Women are more sensitive
1000x more sensitive to musk, estrogen dependent
Women’s brain activate in different patterns
Taste
Women more sensitive
Taste tests
Estrogen related
Audition
Women more sensitive
Particularly high frequencies
Occurs at all ages
Tolerance to white noise lower
Click evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAE)
Click like sounds Women have louder, organizational Gay/bi women have weaker clicks Contraceptives seem to weaken them as well Estrogen related
Vision
Men more sensitive Starts when babies Visual acuity/perception More neurons DHT related
Lateralization of cognitive function
More in males
Harder for men to hear when stimuli in left ear
More left hemisphere lateralized
Verbal skills
Women better
Language comprehension, spelling, grammar
Hormonal
Broca’s area larger
