Deck 8: Hormones and Social Behavior

Question 1

Implants of testosterone into the _______ do not increase aggression.

A) POA of mammals
B) septum of mammals
C) amygdala of mammals
D) POA of birds

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which statement is false?

A) Testosterone levels rise in winners of a fight.
B) Testosterone may directly mediate antisocial behaviors.
C) Testosterone's role in aggression is purely organizational.
D) Testosterone levels may become so depressed in a subordinate male following harassment by the dominant male that he becomes infertile.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

High levels of adult aggression are found in

A) male house mice that have been castrated within 6 days of birth.
B) male house mice that have been castrated within 6 days of birth and treated with testosterone in adulthood.
C) female house mice that have been ovariectomized within 6 days of birth and treated with testosterone in adulthood.
D) male and female house mice that have been gonadectomized within 6 days of birth and treated with testosterone prior to 6 days of age and again in adulthood.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What kind of relationship do most psychological rating scales show between androgen concentrations and aggression?

A) A causal relationship
B) A positive relationship
C) A negative relationship
D) No relationship

Question 5

Which peptides seem to be important in mediating pair-bonding in prairie voles?

A) Endorphin and CRH
B) Oxytocin and pitocin
C) Oxytocin and vasopressin
D) Vasopressin and vasotocin

Question 6

Affiliative behaviors appear to be related to

A) sexual behavior.
B) high progesterone concentrations.
C) parental behavior.
D) LH and FSH.

Question 7

Typically, studies of aggression in humans rely on which techniques?

A) Blood sampling
B) Questionnaires and interviews
C) Microdialysis of neurotransmitters during fights
D) RIA of hormones from blood collected during fights

Question 8

Oxytocin appears to facilitate

A) social bonding.
B) aggression.
C) agonistic bonding.
D) anger and frustration.

Question 9

Which statement is false?

A) Androgens and estrogens affect aggression in rodents.
B) All estrogen receptor knockouts display increased aggression.
C) Resident male mice usually win encounters in their home cage.
D) Prior to puberty, all male rats are less aggressive than adult male rats.

Question 10

Male hamsters that are socially subjugated display

A) normal social interactions.
B) decreased paternal behavior.
C) fear of females.
D) enhanced aggressive behavior directed at smaller and younger hamsters.

Question 11

Mice lacking the gene for ERα display _______ aggression.

A) no
B) low
C) high
D) unchanged

Question 12

Which statement regarding pair-bonding in prairie voles is correct?

A) The brains of females use vasopressin and males use oxytocin.
B) Females pair-bond and males do not.
C) In males the ventral pallidum in crucial for pair-bond formation.
D) In females the lateral septum is crucial for pair-bond formation.

Question 13

Red deer stag are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior in the

A) spring, when testosterone levels are low.
B) spring, when testosterone levels are high.
C) fall, when testosterone levels are low.
D) fall, when testosterone levels are high.

Question 14

Which nucleus is considered to be the integration site for pair-bond formation in monogamous female voles?

A) Ventral pallidum
B) Nucleus accumbens
C) Preoptic area of the hypothalamus
D) Caudate putamen

Question 15

List three hormones involved in the modulation of aggressive behavior in rats.

Question 16

List three neural sites involved in the regulation of aggressive behavior in rats.

Question 17

List some of the hormones and neural substrates involved in: (A) affiliation, and (B) aggression.

Question 18

Name some manipulations of the serotonin system that would produce increased aggression.

Question 19

Why are voles a good model for the study of social behavior and affiliation?

Question 20

Indicate the involvement of testicular hormones in mediating agonistic (aggressive) behavior of mammals.

Question 21

Compare and contrast the hormonal modulation of affiliation and aggression.

Question 22

Describe seasonal patterns of aggression in one of the species discussed in the textbook and how you might experimentally manipulate the timing of this behavior using hormone treatment.

Question 23

Human males are more aggressive than females. Discuss the various factors that could contribute to this phenomenon in terms of hormones, the social environment, and organizational versus activational effects.

Question 24

What do we know about the cause-effect relationship between hormones and aggression in humans? Describe an experiment that establishes a relationship that is not correlational. Remember to consider the ethical guidelines for human studies in your answer.