Collaborative Research: Neuroimaging and Hormonal Analyses of Gender and Interindividual Differences in Competitive Choices

以前的研究表明，在竞争的可能性方面存在显着的性别差异，男性的意愿是女性的两倍。最近的研究表明，随着时间的推移，这些差异是由个体内的激素水平驱动的。这项建议将在更大的男性和女性样本中评估激素与竞争和合作选择之间的关系。雌激素、孕酮（女性）和睾酮（男性和女性）将被测量。第二项研究将增加神经影像学来验证一个假设，即在竞争/合作选择中的性别和个体差异是由大脑奖励区活动的荷尔蒙调节造成的。从更广泛的影响来看，研究结果表明，男性比女性更愿意竞争，这已经被部分解释了收入和职业结果的性别差异，包括高层管理和学术职位上的女性稀缺。这项研究将揭示这一结果的原因，并将有助于评估解决这种差异的政策干预措施的可取性和设计。更好地理解竞争行为的广泛差异的原因也可以帮助个人对自己的教育和职业做出更明智的决定。

Previous work has shown significant gender differences in the likelihoood to compete, with men being about twice as willing as women. More recent work suggests that these differences are driven by hormonal levels within an individual over time. This proposal will assess the relationship between hormones and both competitive and cooperative choices in a larger sample of men and women. Estrogen, progesterone (in women) and testosterone (in men and women) will be measured. A second study will add neuroimaging to test the hypothesis that gender and individual differences in competitive/cooperative choices result from hormonal modulation of activity in the brain's reward areas.In terms of broader impacts, the results showing that men are more willing to compete than women have been and have been offered as a partial explanation for gender differences in outcomes in earnings and careers, including the scarcity of women in top executive and academic positions. This research will shed light on the causes of this result, and will help to evaluate the desirability and design of policy interventions to address such differences. A better understanding of the reasons for the wide variations in competitive behavior can also help individuals make more informed decisions about education and careers on their own as well.