HORMONAL INFLUENCES ON HUMAN SEXUALLY-DIMORPHIC BEHAVIOR

本研究旨在探讨性腺激素对健康的影响。 人类的性二态认知和社会行为。这是一个 延续了一项早期的研究，该研究证明了荷尔蒙 对儿童游戏行为和活动的影响，以及 代表了对行为的第一次纵向研究 产前雄激素暴露增加的后果。这个 拟议的研究的目的是详细说明行为 性腺激素男性化的机制 行为，以及不同物种之间的发展关系 受荷尔蒙影响的行为。目标有两个：(1) 跟踪激素暴露和对照儿童已经测试过 早期游戏行为(A)，看看这些荷尔蒙暴露的女孩是否也 有增强的空间能力，如果有，(B)确定是否 荷尔蒙对空间能力的影响是由于 玩耍男孩的玩具；(2)详细学习，使用聚合 措施，其他性别类型的行为(活动水平，性别角色自我 观念、养成)在这些孩子身上(A)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解释了 参加男性活动。研究对象包括140名男孩 2-11岁女孩先天性肾上腺疾病70例 增生症(CAH)是一种遗传性疾病，可导致 产前雄激素水平，以及70名性别和年龄匹配的兄弟姐妹 或者是充当对照的表亲。受试者将在两个方面进行测试 关于玩具偏好、打闹游戏、活动的场合 水平、修养、性别角色自我概念和认知能力。 所有行为都将通过多项措施进行评估，以获得 在感兴趣的性状上稳定、可靠的个体差异。 主要的假设是：(A)荷尔蒙对玩具的影响 偏好是由荷尔蒙对活动的影响来调节的 水平，即产前雄激素升高会产生更多的运动 活动，这导致CAH女孩玩男孩的玩具，因为 这些玩具允许积极玩耍；以及(B)荷尔蒙对 早期玩具偏好只能部分调节荷尔蒙的影响 关于后来的空间能力，即CAH女孩对男孩玩具的偏好 有利于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。由此产生的结果 这项研究将提供有关荷尔蒙对 发展特定的行为，既是社交行为，也是 在教育上具有相关性。他们还将提供以下信息 可用于患者的医疗管理和咨询 和CAH一起。

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.