Hormones, Status, and the Relationship between Social Behaviors and Intellectual Performance

睾酮和皮质醇是研究最深入的生物物质，然而我们对它们对人类行为影响的理解却令人惊讶地有限。在许多物种中，激素水平的变化是各种行为的有力预测因素，人类也不例外。这项拟议中的研究旨在测试荷尔蒙和行为背后的一个至关重要的观点——睾丸激素水平高的人有保持高地位的需要或欲望。这一提议的核心是试图检验这样一种假设，即不同的睾丸激素水平，无论是慢性的还是短暂的变化，都与追求地位的行为有功能上的关系。在这个应用中提出的最初的实验命题是直截了当的。在竞争互动之后，个体要么失去地位，要么获得地位。然后，他们可以选择尝试恢复失去的地位或捍卫自己的高地位。与该实验相关的主要预测是，睾丸激素的个体差异将预测一个人追求进一步竞争的意愿。皮质醇水平的变化是一种可靠的压力反应测量，预计也会影响行为意图，但仅适用于睾酮水平高的个体，他们可能具有强烈的追求地位的动机。作为对无意识的地位追求和权力的含蓄测量，图片故事练习也将作为验证激素测量的一种手段进行管理。这些措施的进一步确认和验证将通过使用修改Stroop颜色命名程序的状态需要的认知激活来评估。这项研究也有可能通过这些领域的创新综合，推动实验社会心理学和社会行为生物学基础的研究向前发展。此外，这项工作将为未来的研究提供理论基础，以解决代表性不足的群体中可能存在地位问题的人才的代表性，保留和成就的长期问题。这种加深的理解可以为提高妇女和少数民族在科学、工程和数学领域的参与度的战略提供信息。

Testosterone and cortisol are some of the most intensively studied biological substances, yet our understanding of their behavioral effects in human beings is surprisingly limited. In many species, variations in hormone levels are powerful predictors of a wide variety of behaviors, and human beings should be no exception. The proposed research is designed to test a critically important idea underlying hormones and behavior -- that individuals high in testosterone possess a need or desire to maintain high status. The core of this proposal seeks to test the hypothesis that differential testosterone levels, whether chronic or the result of transient changes, bear a functional relationship to status-seeking behavior. The initial experimental proposition put forth in this application is straightforward. After a competitive interaction, individuals either lose status or gain status. Then, they are given the option to attempt to regain their lost status or defend their high status. The primary prediction associated with this experiment is that individual differences in testosterone will predict a person's intention to pursue further competition. Change in cortisol level, a reliable measure of the stress response, is predicted to influence behavioral intention as well, but only among individuals with high levels of testosterone, who presumably possess strong status-seeking motives. An implicit measure of unconscious status seeking and power, the Picture Story Exercise will also be administered as a means of validating the hormonal measures. Further confirmation and validation of these measures will be assessed through cognitive activation of status needs using a modification of the Stroop color-naming procedure.This research also has the potential to move experimental social psychology and the study of biological basis of social behavior forward through the innovative synthesis of these areas. Furthermore, this work will provide the theoretical foundation for future research that addresses the chronic problem of representation, retention, and achievement of talented individuals from underrepresented groups who may have status concerns. This enhanced understanding could inform strategies to increase the participation of women and minorities in science, engineering, and math.