Spatial navigation related to the ratio of second to fourth digit length in women

Csathó, Árpád; Osváth, Anikó; Karádi, Kázmér; Bicsák, Éva; Manning, John T.; Kállai, János

doi:10.1016/s1041-6080(02)00093-6

Cited by 57 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Females-Twenty-one correlations between 2D:4D and spatial ability were obtained from 11 published (Austin et al, 2002;Coolican & Peters, 2003;Csatho et al, 2003;Kempel, Gohlke et al, 2005 Csatho et al, 2005;Kempel, Burk et al, 2005;Loehlin et al, 2005;Peters & Manning, 2005) studies, involving a total of 101,488 subjects ( Table 2). The fixed effects model rendered an effect size estimate of −.028, and the random effects model produced a smaller effect size estimate in the opposite direction: .005 (Figure 3).…”

Section: D:4d Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, 2D:4D appears to be influenced by androgens: a more masculine digit ratio has been associated with CAH (Brown, Hines, Fane, & Breedlove, 2002;Okten, Kalyoncu, & Yaris, 2002, but see Buck, Williams, Hughes., & Acerini, 2003, as well as genetic predictor of androgen sensitivity (Manning, Bundred, Newton, & Flanagan, 2003). Because 2D:4D may reflect prenatal androgens, multiple studies have utilized this morphological marker to examine a possible role of early androgens on spatial ability (Alexander, 2005;Austin, Manning, McInroy, & Mathews, 2002;Coolican & Peters, 2003;Csatho, Karadi, & Kallai., 2005;Csatho et al, 2003;Kempel, Burk, & Hennig, 2005;Kempel, Gohlke et al, 2005;Loehlin, Luciano, Medland, & Martin, 2005;Manning & Taylor, 2001;McFadden & Schubel, 2003;Peters & Manning, 2005;Poulin, O'Connell, & Freeman, 2004;Putz, Gaulin, Sporter, & McBurney, 2004;Rahman, Wilson, & Abrahams, 2004;Sanders, Bereckzei, Csatho, & Manning, 2005;Scarbrough & Johnston, 2005;van Anders & Hampson, 2005). The results of these studies have also been quite variable, with some finding positive relationships, others finding negative relationships, and still others finding no significant relationship, even within a single sex (see Putz et al, 2004 for a partial review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Ability and Prenatal Androgens: Meta-Analyses of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Studies

et al. 2007

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Hormonal manipulations indicate that early androgens organize sex differences in spatial ability in animal models. In humans, spatial ability is also sexually dimorphic, and information about the effects of prenatal androgens on spatial ability can be obtained from studies of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and the ratio of the second and fourth finger lengths (2D:4D). CAH is a condition characterized by prenatal overproduction of adrenal androgens, and several lines of evidence suggest that 2D:4D reflects prenatal androgen exposure. Some studies have found that these proxy measures of prenatal androgenization predict spatial ability, others have found no significant relationship, and yet others have obtained results in opposite directions. In light of these mixed findings, we conducted meta-analyses of published literature and unpublished results to determine if, across studies, either of these indications of prenatal androgens predicts spatial ability. In addition, we applied a trim and fill analysis to the data in search of asymmetry that might be an indication of publication bias. Results indicate that females with CAH have significantly better spatial abilities, and CAH males have worse spatial abilities, than do controls. Little or no relationship exists between 2D:4D and spatial ability. Implications for possible hormonal contributions and the developmental timing of sex differences in spatial cognition are discussed.

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Section: D:4d Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Ability and Prenatal Androgens: Meta-Analyses of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Studies

et al. 2007

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“…The 2D:4D ratio has been studied in the context of reproductive success (Manning et al, 2000), sex-typed behavior (Csathó et al, 2003a), spatial/cognitive abilities (Csathó et al, 2003b;Kempel et al, 2005;Manning, 2002; but see Coolican & Peters, 2003), adult personality characteristics (Austin, Manning, McInroy, & Matthews, 2002;Bailey & Hurd, 2005a;Fink, Manning, & Neave, 2004), and more recently in the context of psychopathology (Arato, Frecska, Beck, An, & Kiss, 2004;Bailey & Hurd, 2005b;Klump et al, 2006;Manning, BaronCohen, Wheelwright, & Sanders, 2001;McFadden, Westhafer, Pasanen, Carlson, & Tucker, 2005;Walder, Andersson, McMillan, Breedlove, & Walker, 2006). Generally, digit ratios show positive correlations with female-typical behaviors and negative correlations with male-typical behaviors (for review, see Putz, Gaulin, Sporter, & McBurney, 2004), and this pattern of results appears to generalize to sex-linked psychopathology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The association between anxiety scores and normative sex-linked behaviors was also examined because others have speculated that sex-linked disorders may represent an extreme expression of normative gender roles (Skodol, 2000), a general description of behaviors that also appear sensitive to levels of prenatal androgens (Berenbaum & Hines, 1992;Hampson, Rovet, & Altmann, 1998;Leveroni & Berenbaum, 1998;Meyer-Bahlburg et al, 2004;Servin, Nordenström, Larsson, & Bohlin, 2003;Udry, 2000;Udry, Morris, & Kovenock, 1995) and that have been correlated with 2D: 4D (Csathó et al, 2003a(Csathó et al, , 2003bKempel et al, 2005;Manning, 2002;Peters, Manning, & Reimers, 2007). It was hypothesized that anxiety scores would differ between individuals with more masculine and more feminine digit ratios and that anxiety scores would be associated with other measures of sex-linked behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety, Sex-Linked Behaviors, and Digit Ratios (2D:4D)

Evardone

Alexander

2007

Arch Sex Behav

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The second to fourth (2D:4D) digit ratio, a sexually dimorphic, phenotypic characteristic putatively associated with perinatal androgen action, has been used to evaluate the hypothesized relation between prenatal hormonal factors and a variety of sexually dimorphic behaviors, including sexlinked psychopathology. Smaller digit ratios, suggestive of stronger perinatal androgen action, have been associated with male-linked disorders (e.g., autism), and larger digit ratios, suggestive of weaker perinatal androgen action, have been associated with female-linked disorders (e.g., depression and eating disorders). To evaluate the possible relation between digit ratio and another traditionally female-linked disorder, anxiety, 2D:4D ratios were measured in a non-clinical sample (58 men, 52 women). Participants also completed a battery of anxiety and gender role measures and performed two spatial/cognitive tasks typically showing a male advantage (mental rotation and targeting) and two tasks typically showing a female advantage (location memory and spatial working memory). Men with a more feminine pattern of sex-linked traits and behaviors (including digit ratios) reported greater anxiety. In contrast, greater anxiety in women was associated with both female-typical and male-typical traits and behaviors, and no significant association between digit ratio and anxiety was found. This pattern of results suggests that the development of anxiety is multiply determined, with contributing factors varying by sex.

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“…musical abilities (Robinson and Manning, 2000;Williams et al, 2000;Manning and Taylor, 2001;Austin et al, 2002;McFadden and Shubel, 2002;Csathò et al, 2003;Neave et al, 2003;Rahman and Wilson, 2003;Putz et al, 2004;Bailey and Hurd, 2005). Positive correlations with 2D:4D have been observed for verbal semantic fluency and traits such as age of onset of myocardial infarction in men or breast cancer in women .…”

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confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in metapodial and phalanges length ratios in the wood mouse

2005

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Relative length of metapodials and digits is sexually dimorphic in most primates and one rodent and one bird species studied so far. Recently, interest in digit ratios has increased because of their correlation with diverse physiological, psychological, and performance traits in humans. These correlations may reflect the effect of androgens during early ontogeny on digit development and their long-term organizational effects on extragenital organs. Inter-and intrasexual variation in digit ratios may be ultimately controlled by modulation of the expression of Hoxa and Hoxd genes. Since Hox genes are conserved in vertebrates, similar patterns of sex-related variation in length ratios may be expected across taxa. In fact, sexual dimorphism in length ratios has been documented for metapodials or digit bones in nonhuman vertebrates, but the specific pattern of sex-related variation varies considerably. However, no study has investigated sexual dimorphism in length ratios between all ray segments (metapodials plus phalanges) using osteometrical measures. In an outbred wild population of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), we found extensive sex-related variation in ratios between osteometrical length of the phalanges, but not metatarsals, similar to that recorded on undissected digits of humans and laboratory mice. Most sexually dimorphic ratios involved the second digit. We found very weak evidence for directional asymmetry in length ratios. The present study shows that sex-related variation in length ratios between digit segments observed in mammals may actually depend on relative bone length. Hence, other species may be used to investigate the causal and semeiotic implications of variation in human digit ratios.

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Spatial navigation related to the ratio of second to fourth digit length in women

Cited by 57 publications

References 31 publications

Spatial Ability and Prenatal Androgens: Meta-Analyses of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Studies

Spatial Ability and Prenatal Androgens: Meta-Analyses of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Studies

Anxiety, Sex-Linked Behaviors, and Digit Ratios (2D:4D)

Sexual dimorphism in metapodial and phalanges length ratios in the wood mouse

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