Testosterone Show Assignment - 30 pts

 

Review your notes about the early developmental/organizational effects of hormones and the later-in-life activational effects of hormones on body and, importantly, brain. 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 organizing OR activating effects of testosterone. You may copy and past this assignment to a Wrod document so that you can adjust the spacing to your answers.

 

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?