Testosterone Show
Assignment - 30 pts
Read about the
organizing effects of hormones (319-320) and activating
effects of
hormones (321-324) and related lecture notes. You also might
find
11.2 (covering some of the special cases that reveal
much
about the role of biological factors in determining our sexual
identity
and
sexual orientation) helpful. Then listen to the first three
cases in
the Testosterone
episode (linked to our syllabus) from the National Public
Radio Show
called
This American Life, and interpret or explain these segments in
terms of
the
biological mechanisms described in these modules.
Case 1 – A Male Who
Has Lost
All Testosterone
How does his psychological functioning appear to be
influenced by the loss of testosterone? What things decrease?
What
things
increase?
Is this change
more
likely to
be related to the organizational or the activational
effects of hormones? (Explain)
Do you think
the
experienced
changes in visual appreciation may reflect a basic difference
in the
way that
testosterone-stimulated vs
low-testosterone
individuals (i.e. males vs
females) experience the world?
Case 2 – A
Female
Who Sought
a Sex Change and Received High Doses of Testosterone
How does this
person’s psychological
and behavioral functioning
appear to
be influenced by the high doses
of testosterone? What things decrease? What things increase?
Is this change
more
likely to
be related to the organizational or the activational
effects of hormones? (Explain)
How about this
person’s
original gender dissatisfaction and her
need to seek a
sex change. Is this more likely to be related to the
organizational or
the activational effects of
hormones?
(Explain)
Do you
think you would change cognitively, emotionally, and
behaviorally if
you went
through a large change in testosterone levels (either up or
down)?
Case 3 – Nine
adults have
their daily blood levels of androgens measured.
Within each
gender,
what are
the characteristics of the individual(s) with the highest
level?
The
lowest
level?
Did high or
low
testosterone
levels relate to behavior in the ways you expected? What fit
and what
surprised
you?