Deck 10: Biology and Gender

Question 1

X-chromosome inactivation involves ______.

A) the silencing of one X chromosome in each of the cells of human females
B) an error in prenatal gender differentiation
C) the process by which the X chromosome is turned off in all cells of human males
D) a process that occurs in the testes but not in the ovaries

Answer 1

the silencing of one X chromosome in each of the cells of human females

Question 2

Estrogen and progesterone are manufactured by the ______.

A) ovaries
B) vagina
C) uterus
D) hypothalamus

Answer 2

ovaries

Question 3

The first step on prenatal gender differentiation is ______.

A) hormonal differentiation
B) gonadal differentiation
C) brain differentiation
D) differentiation of the external genitals

Answer 3

gonadal differentiation

Question 4

A "trans woman" refers to someone who ______.

A) has a birth-assigned male gender and female gender identity
B) has a birth-assigned female gender and male gender identity
C) has a birth-assigned intersex gender and female gender identity
D) has a birth-assigned female gender and is going through genital transition

Question 5

SRY is ______.

A) a hormone produced by the pituitary gland
B) a hormone produced by the adrenal gland
C) a gene on the Y chromosome that directs the fetus's gonads to form testes
D) a gene on the X chromosome that directs the fetus's genitals to form the vagina

Question 6

Giving replacement doses of testosterone to a male rat castrated in adulthood will cause a return of sex drive. This illustrates ______.

A) the organizing effects of hormones
B) the importance of estrogen to sex drive
C) the importance of prenatal gender differentiation
D) the activating effect of hormones

Question 7

A trait controlled by a gene on the X chromosome is ______.

A) a sex-linked trait
B) a sex-limited trait
C) a sex-determined trait
D) expressed more in females than males

Question 8

A genetic female has ______.

A) sex chromosomes XY
B) a vagina
C) sex chromosomes YY
D) sex chromosomes XX

Question 9

"Epigenetics" refers to ______.

A) the genetics of RNA
B) changes in gene expression caused by factors other than DNA
C) the mass of protein surrounding a chromosome
D) criticism of the Human Genome Project

Question 10

If pregnant guinea pigs are administered testosterone, their genetic female offspring will show male, not female, patterns of sexual behavior. This is an example of ______.

A) the organizing effects of hormones
B) the activating effects of hormones
C) the harmful effects of drug abuse
D) pheromone effects

Question 11

Prenatally, females and males develop differently ______.

A) beginning at about the sixth to eighth week after conception
B) from the moment of conception
C) as a result of gender role socialization
D) as a result of cultural expectations

Question 12

In the course of biological gender differentiation in prenatal development, ______.

A) major gender differences are created in the frontal lobe of the brain
B) major differences are created in the hypothalamus
C) most gender differentiation occurs postnatally
D) gender differences in the external genitals occur before ovaries or testes differentiate

Question 13

Female rat pups born to high-licking mothers are themselves high lickers when they become mothers. If pups born to low-licking mothers are raised by high-licking mothers, they are high lickers in adulthood. This effect is due to ______.

A) genetics
B) endocrine disrupters
C) prenatal differentiation
D) epigenetics

Question 14

The gonads (ovaries and testes), pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands are all ______.

A) androgens
B) sex hormones
C) endocrine glands
D) connected to metabolism

Question 15

In animals, the two behaviors that are most affected by prenatal hormone exposure are ______.

A) activity level and appetite
B) spatial ability and aggression
C) aggressive and sexual behaviors
D) the structure of the genitals, but there is no evidence that it affects behavior

Question 16

A "trans man" refers to someone who ______.

A) has a birth-assigned male gender and female gender identity
B) has a birth-assigned female gender and male gender identity
C) has a birth-assigned intersex gender and female gender identity
D) has a birth-assigned male gender and is going through genital transition

Question 17

______ refers to changes in gene expression caused by factors other than DNA.

A) Transcription
B) Epigenetics
C) Genome
D) Inactivation

Question 18

Androgens are manufactured in females by the ______.

A) pituitary
B) hypothalamus
C) adrenal gland
D) fallopian tubes

Question 19

______ is the term for a rare genetic condition that causes the fetus's adrenal glands to produce abnormally large amounts of androgens, resulting in genetic females born with masculinized genitals.

A) Androgenization syndrome (AS)
B) Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)
C) Guevedoces
D) Hermaphroditism

Question 20

Men deprived of their main source of testosterone by castration show a dramatic decrease in sexual behavior in some, but not all, cases. Based on this research, we can infer that ______.

A) there is not enough evidence to say that testosterone has an impact on sexual desire in men
B) testosterone is linked to sexual desire, but not the driving factor
C) androgens do not play a significant role in sexual desire in men
D) testosterone has an activating effect in maintaining sexual desire in men

Question 21

Longitudinal studies on trans women have found that after 4 months of hormone treatment, ______.

A) brain volume increased and was in the top 1% of male brain size
B) brain volume stayed the same and remained in the male range
C) brain volume decreased and was more in the female range
D) brain volume stayed the same, but decreased after 12 months of hormone treatment

Question 22

Estrogen is the source of sexual desire in women.

Question 23

Research on the corpus callosum in humans indicates that ______.

A) men have a slightly larger corpus callosum overall
B) women have a larger corpus callosum which accounts for their superior verbal ability
C) the size of the corpus callosum is stable by 12 years of age
D) when it is damaged by stroke, spatial ability is impaired

Question 24

In general, boys' and men's bodies mount a stronger immune response to infections than girls' and women's bodies do.

Question 25

Gender similarities are the rule when it comes to brain anatomy.

Question 26

Research on differences in the brains of people who are transgender is based on the assumption that ______.

A) there are more similarities than difference between human male and female brains
B) there are clear differences between human male and female brains
C) transgender brains are very different from cisgender brains
D) transgender brains are mostly similar to cisgender brains

Question 27

fMRI research is often used to reinforce stereotypes. This is an example of ______.

A) neurosexism
B) epigenetics
C) modern sexism
D) stereotype confirmation bias

Question 28

In regard to Joel's (2015) concept of the gender brain mosaic, regions that don't show a male-female difference are termed ______.

A) intersex
B) transitional
C) intermediate
D) intermediary

Question 29

Differences between female and male brains are found in the ______.

A) thalamus
B) hypothalamus
C) cerebellum
D) adrenal gland

Question 30

Most women have brains with all female-leaning regions and most men have brains with all male-leaning regions.

Question 31

The traditional model in psychology has maintained that hormones influence behavior. However, research shows that testosterone levels rise in both men and women following an interpersonal competitive victory. This highlights ______.

A) the unidirectional influence of hormones on behaviors and experiences
B) the bidirectional influence of hormones on behaviors/experiences
C) how hormones are a fixed and unchanging biological factor
D) the unidirectional influence of behaviors and experiences on hormones

Question 32

The hypothalamus is the structure most affected by sex hormones.

Question 33

Research suggests that long-term practice of meditation results in different levels of activity in brain regions associated with qualities such as attention, anxiety, depression, fear, and anger. This is an example of ______.

A) lateralization
B) localizationism
C) cortical mapping
D) neural plasticity

Question 34

In brain research, ______ refers to the extent to which a particular function is handled by one hemisphere of the brain or both.

A) hemispherization
B) localization
C) lateralization
D) subordination

Question 35

There are no genetic differences between men and women except for the sex chromosomes and the genes on them.

Question 36

Trans women have been studied more than trans men.

Question 37

As of right now, there is no solid evidence of a particular gene or genes that create a tendency to becoming transgender.

Question 38

Research indicates that there are gender differences in brain lateralization.

Question 39

Research on male-female differences in brain size ______.

A) shows that women's slightly lower scores on IQ tests are due to their slightly smaller brains
B) shows that men have several different advantages because of their larger brain size
C) has failed to demonstrate a relationship, in humans, between brain size and intelligence
D) shows that although women's brain size is smaller, they outperform males on IQ tests

Question 40

The theory that women's smaller brain size relative to men means they are not as intelligent as men is an example of the female deficit model.

Question 41

Explain a bidirectional model and why many feminist scientists believe it is important.

Question 42

The differences in the levels of sex hormones may affect behavior at two major stages of development. Identify these two stages. Then, explain the two types of effects that can occur based on which stage someone is in and their implications.

Question 43

A researcher uses fMRI and finds that a region "lights up" more for men doing math problems than for women. Explain why we cannot infer that those differences are hardwired.

Question 44

Name and contrast the "male" sex hormones and the "female" sex hormones. Explain why it is a mistake to refer to these sex hormones as "male" and "female."

Question 45

Provide an example of how women and men differ in basic physiological processes.

Question 46

Gender differences exist in the hypothalamus. Explain one of the consequences of the gender differences in the hypothalamus. Specifically, talk about the differences between men and women in how the hypothalamus directs pituitary hormone secretion.

Question 47

Define neural plasticity and explain the implications.

Question 48

Research shows that if all sources of androgens in women (the adrenals and ovaries) are removed, women lose sexual desire. What can you infer about the driving factors of sexual desire in women based on this research? Based on your inference, what is one way a woman with low sexual desire could increase her sexual desire?

Question 49

Explain Daphna Joel's idea of the human brain as a "gender mosaic" and differentiate between female-leaning, male-leaning, and intermediate. What does this research indicate about there being a "male brain" and a "female brain"?

Question 50

Explain how sex hormones can create gender differences, particularly naming the two behaviors sex hormones influence in both women and men.