Neonatal sex‐steriod hormones and timidity in 6‐18‐month‐old boys and girls

Jacklin, Carol Nagy; Maccoby, Eleanor E.; Doering, Charles H.

doi:10.1002/dev.420160302

Cited by 54 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Jacklin, Maccoby & Doering (1983) found that, in boys, boldness (absence of timidity), measured at 6, 9, 12 and 18 months, was predicted by testosterone levels, and strongly predicted by progesterone levels. It is, however, unclear whether the hormones measured in umbilical cord blood are derived from the mother or the baby.…”

Section: Foetal Androgensmentioning

confidence: 89%

The influence of testosterone on human aggression

Archer

1991

British J of Psychology

477

209

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Animal studies show clear evidence for a causal link between testosterone and aggression. This review assesses studies involving androgens, principally testosterone, and human aggression. Evidence for a possible effect of prenatal androgens is inconclusive. In adults, higher testosterone levels are found in groups selected for high levels of aggressiveness. Correlations between testosterone and aggression were low when hostility inventories were used, but higher (r = .38) when aggressiveness was rated by others. Regression analysis data and studies of boys at puberty were inconclusive. Other studies show that the outcome of aggressive and competitive encounters can alter testosterone levels, thus confounding interpretation of the correlational evidence. The design of future studies to reveal evidence of a causal link is considered. Suggestions concerning two important methodological problems, the experimental manipulation of hormone levels and the nature of the dependent variable, are made.Studies of a wide variety of vertebrate species have indicated that androgens, principally testosterone, facilitate aggressiveness between males, thus providing a mechanism for the increase in male competitive aggression at a time when the animals are reproductively active (Archer, 1988). This ethological evidence raises the question of whether testosterone also facilitates aggression in human males. Some reviews of the human evidence have concluded that it does (Donovan, 1985; Rubin, Reinisch.8~ Haskett, 1981) whereas others have urged caution in drawing this conclusion (Benton, 1983;Carlson, 1986;Rada, Kellner & Winslow, 1976).The purpose of the present paper is to provide a systematic review of current evidence on this issue, to include a limited meta-analysis where possible, and to highlight methodological issues raised by existing studies. The review begins with a brief survey of animal studies to provide a background for the human evidence. The possible involvement of neonatal androgens is then considered briefly, before examining the following types of evidence from adults : comparisons of testosterone levels in selected groups which show high and low levels of aggressiveness; correlations in both selected samples and unselected samples ; and regression analyses. Studies carried out on boys at puberty -when testosterone levels rise dramatically -are then considered. The limitations of correlational evidence are discussed, particularly in relation to the influence of the social environment on testosterone levels. Existing attempts to provide causal analyses are described, before considering how best to design future studies to reveal more clearly whether testosterone facilitates human aggression.

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Section: Foetal Androgensmentioning

confidence: 89%

The influence of testosterone on human aggression

Archer

1991

British J of Psychology

477

209

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“…The evidence relating umbilical cord hormones to behavior comes from the Stanford Longitudinal Study, which also examined other influences on sex-typed behavior [127][128][129][130]. Approximately 125 children were tested on a variety of behaviors.…”

Section: Studies In Typical Populations: Prospective Studies With Dirmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There were no hypotheses about estradiol, estrone and progesterone. A trait called 'timidity' was assessed by reactions of (6-18-month-old) infants to fear-provoking toys [127]. There were small sex differences in reaction to the toys, with girls somewhat more timid than boys.…”

Section: Studies In Typical Populations: Prospective Studies With Dirmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effects in girls can be related to studies in several species showing progesterone to have anti-androgenic effects, but effects in boys are unexplained. It is interesting to note that neonatal progesterone was associated with masculinization in boys across traits, including strength and temperament [127,128,130].…”

Section: Studies In Typical Populations: Prospective Studies With Dirmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prenatal sex hormone effects on child and adult sex-typed behavior: methods and findings

Cohen-Bendahan

Beek

Berenbaum

2005

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

485

400

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There is now good evidence that human sex-typed behavior is influenced by sex hormones that are present during prenatal development, confirming studies in other mammalian species. Most of the evidence comes from clinical populations, in which prenatal hormone exposure is atypical for a person's sex, but there is increasing evidence from the normal population for the importance of prenatal hormones. In this paper, we briefly review the evidence, focusing attention on the methods used to study behavioral effects of prenatal hormones. We discuss the promises and pitfalls of various types of studies, including those using clinical populations (concentrating on those most commonly studied, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen insensitivity syndrome, ablatio penis, and cloacal exstrophy), direct measures of hormones in the general population (assayed through umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, and maternal serum during pregnancy), and indirect measures of hormones in the general population (inferred from intrauterine position and biomarkers such as otoacoustic emissions, finger length ratios, and dermatoglyphic asymmetries). We conclude with suggestions for interpreting and conducting studies of the behavioral effects of prenatal hormones. q

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“…Several statements can now be made. First, research has demonstrated that individual differences in sex steroids at birth are related to some sexually dimorphic behaviors (Jacklin et al, 1984;Jacklin et al, 1983;Jacklin et al, 1988). Second, this study has demonstrated that variations of neonatal levels of estradiol and progesterone are mediated by genetic factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Sex steroids at birth: Genetic and environmental variation and covariation

Sakai

Baker

Jacklin

et al. 1991

Developmental Psychobiology

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Three sex-steroids (estradiol, progesterone, & testosterone) were assayed from the umbilical cord blood of 58 same-sex twin pairs in an investigation of the effects of sex, as well as genetic and environmental factors, on neonatal hormone levels. Although significant mean differences were found between boys and girls for both testosterone and progesterone, sex appeared to account for very little of the total variation for any of the hormones. Results showed that genetic influences significantly affected within-sex variation in both estradiol and progesterone levels, while variations in the intrauterine (shared twin) environment accounted primarily for differences in levels of testosterone. Moderate correlations were also found among the three hormones. Multivariate biometrical analyses revealed these relationships to be explained by an underlying general factor of nonshared environmental influences affecting all three hormones. Genetic factors appeared to be specific to each hormone rather than correlated across hormones. These results suggest not only that genes are operating at this early age, but also that maternal and other prenatal factors (e.g., placental effects, uterine position) have a significant role in variations of sex-steroids and possibly on later behaviors.

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Neonatal sex‐steriod hormones and timidity in 6‐18‐month‐old boys and girls

Cited by 54 publications

References 12 publications

The influence of testosterone on human aggression

The influence of testosterone on human aggression

Prenatal sex hormone effects on child and adult sex-typed behavior: methods and findings

Sex steroids at birth: Genetic and environmental variation and covariation

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