HORMONAL INFLUENCES ON HUMAN SEXUALLY-DIMORPHIC BEHAVIOR

本项目是一项研究性腺激素对 人类性二态认知和社会行为。 这是一个 一项早期研究的延续，该研究表明， 对儿童游戏行为和活动的影响，以及 代表了第一个纵向研究的行为 产前雄激素暴露升高的后果。 的 这项研究的目的是阐述行为 性腺激素使男性化的机制 行为，以及各种行为之间的发展关系， 受影响的行为。 目标有两个方面：（1） 已接受过以下测试的后续暴露于药物的儿童和对照儿童 早期游戏行为（a），看看这些暴露在黑暗中的女孩是否也 具有增强的空间能力，并且，如果是这样，（B）确定是否 激素对空间能力的影响是由于增加了 玩男孩的玩具;（2）详细研究，使用聚合物 措施，其他性别类型的行为（活动水平，性别角色自我， 概念，养育）在这些儿童（a），以确定是否 这些行为也受到产前雄激素的影响，如果 因此，（B）评估运动活动水平增加是否导致 参加男性活动。 受试者包括140名男孩 2-11岁女孩：70例先天性肾上腺皮质激素缺乏症患者 增生（CAH），一种遗传性疾病，导致增加 产前雄激素水平和70名性别和年龄匹配的兄弟姐妹 或作为对照的堂兄弟姐妹。 受试者将接受两项测试 玩具偏好、打闹游戏、活动的场合 水平、教养、性别角色自我概念和认知能力。 所有行为将通过多种措施进行评估，以获得 稳定、可靠的个体差异。 主要的假设是：（a）激素对玩具的影响 偏好是通过荷尔蒙对活动的影响来调节的 水平，即，产前雄激素升高会增加运动 活动，这导致CAH女孩玩男孩的玩具，因为 这些玩具允许积极发挥;和（B）激素的影响， 早期玩具偏好仅部分介导激素的影响 在以后的空间能力，即，CAH女孩对男孩玩具的偏好 促进了以后空间能力的发展，但这种能力 也直接受到性腺激素的影响。 结果从这个 这项研究将提供有关激素对 发展特定的行为，既社会和 教育相关。 他们还将提供信息， 可用于患者的医疗管理和咨询 在CAH。

This project is an investigation of gonadal hormone influences on human sexually-dimorphic cognitive and social behavior. It is a continuation of an earlier study, which demonstrated hormonal influences on childhood play behavior and activities, and represents the first longitudinal study of the behavioral consequences of elevated prenatal androgen exposure. The purpose of the proposed study is to elaborate the behavioral mechanisms through which gonadal hormones masculinize behavior, and the developmental relationships among the various hormonally influenced behaviors. The aims are tow-fold: (1) to follow-up hormone-exposed and control children already tested on early play behavior (a) to see if these hormone-exposed girls also have enhanced spatial ability, and, if so, (b) to determine whether hormonal influences on spatial ability are the result of increased play with boys' toys; (2) to study in detail, using aggregate measures, other sex-typed behaviors (activity level, sex-role self- concept, nurturance) in these children (a) to determine whether these behaviors are also influenced by prenatal androgen, and, if so, (b) to assess if increased motor activity level accounts for participation in masculine activities. Subjects include 140 boys and girl aged 2-11: 70 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a genetic disease which results in increased prenatal levels of androgen, and 70 sex- and age-matched siblings or cousins who serve as controls. Subjects will be tested on two occasions on toy preference, rough-and-tumble play, activity level, nurturance, sex-role self-concept, and cognitive abilities. All behaviors will be assessed with multiple measures to obtain stable, reliable individual differences on the traits of interest. The main hypotheses are that: (a) hormonal influences on toy preferences are mediated by hormonal influences on activity level, i.e., elevated prenatal androgens produce increased motor activity, which leads to CAH girls playing with boys' toys, because these toys allow for active play; and (b) hormonal influences on early toy preference only partially mediate hormonal influences on later spatial ability, i.e., CAH girls' preference for boys' toys facilitates the development of later spatial ability, but this ability is also influenced directly by gonadal hormones. Results from this study will provide information about hormonal influences on the development of specific behaviors that are both socially and educationally relevant. They will also provide information that can be used in the medical management and counseling of patients with CAH.