Hormones & Pheromones (DP IB Psychology)

a.

Research shows that males convicted of violent offences tend to have higher levels of testosterone than those convicted of non-violent crimes.

c.

Oxytocin is popularly known as the ‘cuddle hormone’ as it is associated with feelings of trust, bonding, and security.

Oxytocin is made in the hypothalamus at the top of the brain stem.

True.

Oxytocin is secreted during childbirth and breastfeeding and is thought to be an evolutionary mechanism allowing mother and baby to bond.

c.

Some research shows that oxytocin can be released as a result of touch, music, or exercise. Any behaviour which elicits feelings of belonging, attachment or a secure feeling may stimulate oxytocin.

False.

Oxytocin is associated with feelings of trust, bonding, and security.

b.

A pheromone is a chemical that is secreted by glands to act outside of the body.

c.

The first research on pheromones was conducted on animals.

There is compelling evidence to show that animals use pheromones for the purposes of mate selection and territoriality.

The vomeronasal sensory organ is a collection of neurones deep within the nose that detects pheromones.

False.

To date there is no real evidence to show that pheromones exist in humans

Conspecific means members of the same species.

True.

There may be some validity that a ‘pheromone nerve’ exists in humans: this is known as cranial nerve 0 (CN0) or the terminal nerve.

Androstadienone signals maleness and estratetraenol signals femaleness in humans.

True.

Estratetraenol signals femaleness thus it attracts heterosexual men and homosexual women.

The aim of the Zak et al. (2009) study is to investigate the role played by testosterone in prosocial behaviour.

c.

The sample in Zak et al.'s (2009) study is 25 males (mean age of 20.8 years).

A double-blind procedure is where neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving the treatment or the placebo.

False.

In the study of Zak et al. (2009), the participants in the Androgel condition (i.e. heightened testosterone) donated 27% less money than their first, pre-experiment baseline measurement suggested.

a.

Zak et al. (2009) concluded that men with heightened testosterone levels may exhibit less prosocial behaviour than those with lower testosterone levels.

Zak et al.'s (2009) findings could be used to inform therapies for men who may struggle with aggressive or anti-social behaviour.

b.

The aim of Morhenn et al.'s (2008) study is to investigate the relationship between oxytocin, massage, and monetary sacrifice.

False.

In the Massage and Trust condition of Morhenn et al.'s (2008) study, the participants receive a 15-minute back massage, followed by a trust game where each participant decides whether to match the donations made by another player.

Morhenn et al.'s (2008) participant's blood is sampled before and after the procedure to compare the pre-experiment and post-experiment oxytocin levels.

a.

One of the key findings of the Morhenn et al. (2008) study is that the Massage and Trust group showed the highest increase in oxytocin levels (16%).

They also sacrificed 243% more money, with women showing higher levels of oxytocin and more monetary sacrifice overall than men.

Morhenn et al. (2008) concludes that massage followed by a trust game appears not only to increase oxytocin levels but also to predict the direction of monetary sacrifice.

c.

The Morhenn et al. (2008) study shows cultural bias because the study is conducted in an individualistic culture and it could be that a collectivist culture would view trust differently.

Culture bias means that the results of a study do not relate to more than one culture.

b.

The aim of Zhou et al.'s (2014) study is to investigate whether androstadienone (AND) and estratetraenol (EST) function as human pheromones in sexual attraction.

a.

Zhou et al.'s (2014) sample is comprised of 24 adult heterosexual males; 24 adult heterosexual females; 24 adult homosexual males and 24 adult bisexual or homosexual females.

False:

The participants of Zhou et al.'s (2014) study watched a series of point-light figures walking (i.e. not real humans) for 0.5 seconds, then had to say whether the figure was male or female.

c.

In Zhou et al.'s (2014) study, heterosexual males made more judgments that the walker was female when they were exposed to estratetraenol (EST).

EST signals femaleness.

Yes, the findings of Zhou et al. (2017) could be said to be reliable as the researchers used a standardised procedure, ensuring a good measure of control.

The aim of Hare et al.'s (2017) study is to investigate whether androstadienone (AND) and estratetraenol (EST) play a role in the perception of gender and attractiveness.

Counterbalancing means that half of the participants experience the experimental condition followed by the control condition and the other half experience the control condition followed by the experimental condition. This is done to avoid order effects.

True.

For task 1 in Hare et al.'s (2017) study, the participants were shown 5 images of morphed gender-neutral faces (the blending of male and female faces together).

The participants were asked to identify the gender of each face.

b.

The results of Hare et al.'s (2017) study are inconclusive.

The researchers found no evidence that androstadienone (AND) or estratetraenol (EST) affected gender perception, attractiveness rating or unfaithfulness rating.

Ecological validity refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be generalised to real-life settings or situations.