sexual behaviours

Question 1

sex hormones are __________ hormones derived from _________ and produced in the _________ and other organs.

Answer 1

steroids; cholesterol; gonads

Question 2

what are male and female gonads?

Answer 2

testes; ovaries

Question 3

what are the 2 effects of sex hormones?

Answer 3

organisation
activation

Question 4

what is the organisation effect of sex hormones? is it permanent or reversible?

Answer 4

exposure to hormones masculinises or feminises the brain during crucial developmental periods.

organising effect is permanent.

Question 5

what is the activation effect of sex hormones? is it permanent or reversible?

Answer 5

exposure to hormones influences behavior and physiology later in life. It is impt to secual behavior beginning at puberty.

It is reversible.

Question 6

when do organisation effects of sex hormones take place?

Answer 6

1. btwn gestational (pregnancy) wks 6 and 24
2. during mini-puberty - 1st 6 mths for boys, 1st 2 yrs for girls
3. during puberty

Question 7

examples of activation effects of sex hormones.

Answer 7

increased aggression

courtship

Question 8

which part of the brain manages the release of sex hromones?

Answer 8

hypothalamus

Question 9

hypothalamus manages release of sex hormones through secretion of what hormone?

Answer 9

GnRH

gonadotropin releasing hormone

Question 10

the secretion of GnRH in the hypothalamus is modulated by what? and thus, fertility is timed according to what?

Answer 10

secretion of GnRH in the hypothalamus is modulated by melatonin (depends on light input)and thus, fertility is timed according to length of day

Question 11

GnRH secreted in the __________ stimulates the release of 2 hormones, ____ and _________, by the _____________.

Answer 11

hypothalamus; luteinizing hormone (LH); follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); anterior pituitary gland

Question 12

which of the hormones, LH or FSH,

(a) signal testes to release testosterone

(b) control menstrual cycle

(c) cause sperm to mature

(d) signal ovaries to release estrogen

Answer 12

(a) LH

(b) FSH and LH

(c) FSH and testosterone

(d) FSH

Question 13

human females are slightly more sexually interested around ___________ period of the menstrual cycle.

which hormone is linked to female sexual desire?

Answer 13

ovulation (when ovaries release egg aka ovum)

estrogen

Question 14

sexual frequency is closely correlated with testosterone levels. this is true for older or younger men?

Answer 14

older

Question 15

young men’s testosterone levels are not strongly correlated with sexual frequency as long as it is ___________.

Answer 15

within normal limits

Question 16

men in stable, long-term marriages have _____ testosterone levels than single, newly divorced men.

do men’s testosterone levels drop or rise after childbirth? what are the 2 reasons for this?

Answer 16

lower

drop
- low testosterone level more compatible with parenting and pair bonding
- protects male from detrimental effects of high testosterone on immune system

Question 17

1. testosterone levels increase/decrease in anticipation of competition.
2. winners experience increase/decrease in testosterone level while losers experience increase/decrease.
3. can merely observing a competition influence testosterone level?

Answer 17

1. increase
2. increase; decrease
3. yes

Question 18

besides LH and FSH, what are another 2 sexually dimorphic pituitary hormones? are they higher in females or males?

Answer 18

1. oxytocin is higher in females
2. vasopressin is higher in males

Question 19

what is the pituitary hormone responsible for enhancing bonding? state 2 situations when it is released.

Answer 19

oxytocin

childbirth
breastfeeding
hugging
sex
petting milo

Question 20

1. in the studying of brain and sexual behaviour, there was a meta-analysis of ___ studies with _______ participants.
2. participants viewed which 2 stimuli during their MRI scan? what kind of MRI (f,s,d) scan was conducted?
3. is there any significant difference in:

(a) whole brain level btwn 2 sexes

(b) heterosexual vs homosexual

(c) sex difference among homosexuals

Answer 20

1. 61; 1850
2. neutral & erotic; fMRI

3.

(a) no

(b) greater activation in left hemisphere of heterosexuals than homosexuals

(c) no

Question 21

in heterosexuals, both men and women have larger _____________ and _________ while homosexuals have larger ___________.

Answer 21

precentral gyrus; thalamus; putamen

Question 22

what is the concordance rates of homosexuality in males (fraternal and identical twins)?

**A high concordance rate means that if one twin has the trait, the other is likely to have it as well, indicating a potential genetic or shared environmental influence.

Answer 22

fraternal twins: 20-25%
identical twins: 50%

Question 23

females with ____________ have increased rates of homosexuality and bisexuality.

Answer 23

congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)

Question 24

CAH is _____________. It is a gene ________ resulting in __________ production of ___________ in __________ glands during ____ trimester of pregnancy.

it can happen in boys or girls or both?

what is the cause?

Answer 24

congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH); mutation; excess; testosterone; adrenal; 2nd

can happen in boys and girls
- more obvious in girls as they are more boyish

cause: increased prenatal exposure to androgen

Question 25

brain volume (both GM and WM) is larger in ______ than ______ by ____%, with larger variabilty in _______.

Answer 25

males; females; 11; males

Question 26

sex related differences peak around when?

Answer 26

adolescent to young adult

Question 27

what is the greater male variability hypothesis?

Answer 27

if one sex is relatively selective, then from one generation to the next, more variable subpopulations of the opposite sex will tend to prevail over those with lesser variability

Question 28

are females more selective of their mates than males?

Answer 28

yes parent investment theory - much greater female investing in mating and child rearing - females need to be more cautious (neuroticism) and selective

Question 29

on sexual dimorphism in personality, females are higher in neuroticism. true or false? why?

Answer 29

true. parent investment theory - need to be more cautious (neurotic) and selective - much more investment in mating n child rearing than males

Question 30

in the slides, state the theory under sexual dimorphism in personality.

Answer 30

empathizing-systemizing theory states that females are more empathetic and males are more systematic. *** empathizing - recognize people's mental states, respond with appropriate emotion systemising - drive to analyse or build a rule-based system

Question 31

what are the 2 main areas concerning sexual dimorphism in cognition?

Answer 31

language-related abilities - females better visuospatial abilities - males better

Question 32

who is the best at verbal fluency? male or female? straight or gay?

Answer 32

gays

Question 33

why do sex-related dimorphisms in brain, personality and cognition exist? gender socialisation, evolution theories, parent investment theory men are hunters in early societies - need to ____________ across vast terrains - need to use weapons that require ability to track _____________ in 3D space social relations are relatively more important for the survival of _________ and their offspring - in response to threat: males fight or flight, females ________ - greater ______ and better ________ abilities among females

Answer 33

navigate; movement females; tend and befriend; empathy; language

Question 34

the sex of the brain (brain sex) can be measured the same way as ______________ using _________________, where the model is trained to recognise how male and female brains look like and then predict if someone's brain is more female or male. 0=extreme female, 1=extreme male. thus 0.8 = brain with more male characteristics, more likely to be male.

Answer 34

brain age; machine learning

Question 35

what are 2 hormone related disorders of sex development?

Answer 35

1. congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) - gene mutation resulting in excess production of teststerone in adrenal glands during 2nd trimester of pregnancy. - happens in both genders, more obv in girls. - cause: increased prenatal exposure to androgens 2. androgen insensitivity syndrome - XY genotype (male) fetus lacks androgen receptors - feminised physical features and behaviors

Question 36

what is the prevalence of intersex conditions?

Answer 36

1.7%

Question 37

state the Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism

Answer 37

The Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism suggests that autism can be understood as an exaggeration of typical male cognitive traits.

Question 38

the extreme male brain fits which 2 criteria of DSM-V for ASD? which theory also supports this?

Answer 38

1. deficits in social communication and interaction (empathising) 2. repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities (systemising) empathising-systemising theory

Question 39

autistic symptoms have been described as being the product of _______________.

Answer 39

extreme male brain

Question 40

the extreme male brain could be associated with autism, what about eztreme female brain showing hyper-empathising profile?

Answer 40

psychosis (disconnection from reality) - paranoia - mania (positive symptoms - excess/distortion of normal function)

Question 41

most research on extreme male/female brains relies on ______________ instead of studying the brain itself.

Answer 41

personality questionnaires