Deck 7: The Biology of Sex and Gender

Question 1

Sex is considered to be a form of ______ behavior.

A) chaotic
B) motivated
C) learned
D) controlled

Answer 1

motivated

Question 2

In contrast to hunger, sexual arousal in people is primarily influenced by ______.

A) time since last opportunity for intercourse
B) a desire to reduce the drive
C) an increase in hormone levels
D) related stimuli

Answer 2

related stimuli

Question 3

Which phase of the sexual response in humans is most similar to what occurs during the return to homeostasis after fulfilling your hunger by eating a sandwich?

A) excitement phase
B) orgasm
C) plateau phase
D) resolution

Answer 3

resolution

Question 4

What is true of Masters and Johnson's study of human sexual response?

A) It was conducted in the 1980s.
B) It involved observing human sexual activity in a laboratory.
C) It involved observing the sexual activity of rodents in a laboratory.
D) It was survey-based research asking people about their sexual behavior.

Question 5

What is the shortest phase of the human sexual response?

A) plateau phase
B) orgasm
C) excitement phase
D) refractory phase

Question 6

During which sexual phase does the vaginal entrance tighten on the penis?

A) orgasm
B) excitement phase
C) resolution
D) plateau phase

Question 7

Why does most of what we know about sexual behavior come from studies of other species like rats?

A) Sexual behavior is not considered to be important to humans.
B) The hormonal control of sex is the same in rats and humans.
C) Researchers can alter the hormonal control of animals, which would be unethical in humans.
D) Only people with sexual dysfunctions are willing to participate in sexual research as participants.

Question 8

Which statement best describes the effects of castration on sexual behavior?

A) We are more affected by castration than other animals.
B) Males eventually lose the ability to copulate; females do not.
C) Sexual behavior declines but is still present because the adrenals secrete enough hormones to maintain sexual desire.
D) The ability of males to have erections is maintained, but sex drive is low; little if any changes occur in the females.

Question 9

Antiandrogen drugs, such as those given to some individuals convicted of sexually based crimes, are ______ in treating deviant sexual behavior.

A) minimally effective
B) highly effective
C) inconsistent and unpredictable
D) not as popular as surgical castration

Question 10

Which of the following statements about testosterone is true?

A) The relationship between sexual activity and testosterone levels could be explained by the fact that sexual activity itself increases testosterone levels.
B) The effect of castration on sexual behavior takes longer in rats than in humans.
C) Castration of aggressive human prisoners is a common procedure that is effective in about 50% of cases.
D) Males with low testosterone levels cannot be as sexually active as other males.

Question 11

Females of most species are willing to engage in sex only during their ______ period.

A) menstrual
B) estrus
C) refractory
D) plateau

Question 12

Which of the following statements supports a relationship between the menstrual cycle and female sexual activity?

A) Women are more likely to initiate sex during the middle of their reproductive cycle, when the woman is most likely to get pregnant.
B) Women on birth control pills exhibit a peak in sexual activity for only a few days after menstruation occurs.
C) Couples are more likely to have intercourse when the woman is actively menstruating only in the winter months due to low levels of estrogen.
D) Women exhibit a spontaneous decrease in sexual activity during the middle of their menstrual cycle, when the woman is most likely to get pregnant.

Question 13

What evidence suggests that testosterone plays a role in female sexual behavior?

A) Testosterone levels dip at mid-cycle, when women are more likely to initiate sexual activity.
B) Sexual behavior of women decreases at menopause when testosterone levels increase.
C) Testosterone treatment given to women with their ovaries removed increases sexual arousal and behavior.
D) Testosterone remains at stable levels throughout a woman's menstrual cycle, supporting the lack of fluctuation in women's willingness to engage in sexual intercourse.

Question 14

What effect do birth control pills have on hormone levels in women?

A) They produce more extreme changes in estrogen over the menstrual cycle.
B) They produce more extreme changes in testosterone over the menstrual cycle.
C) They result in more even release of estrogen over the menstrual cycle.
D) They result in more even release of testosterone over the menstrual cycle.

Question 15

How are researchers now conceptualizing the drive for sexual interaction and other drives (such as hunger and thirst)?

A) as tissue needs
B) as cell needs
C) as arising from specific brain structures or networks
D) as arising from specific hormones

Question 16

Some of the same hypothalamic brain areas are involved in sex and hunger. This observation reflects what more general principle?

A) Motivated behaviors arise solely from activity in the hypothalamus.
B) Sex and hunger serve the same purpose for animals.
C) Brain areas have highly specific functions.
D) Brain areas serve multiple functions.

Question 17

Rebecca came home and discovered her pet hamsters copulating. What part of both hamsters' brains was likely active at that time?

A) medial preoptic area
B) sexually dimorphic nucleus
C) ventromedial hypothalamus
D) paraventricular nucleus

Question 18

Which brain area is involved in female sexual behavior?

A) sexually dimorphic nucleus
B) ventromedial hypothalamus
C) paraventricular nucleus
D) median preoptic nucleus

Question 19

Stimulation of the medial preoptic area results in release of dopamine in the ______.

A) medial amygdala
B) sexually dimorphic nucleus
C) medial preoptic area
D) ventromedial nucleus

Question 20

Jorge was walking his dog, Duke, when they encountered a female dog who appeared to be in heat. Duke became excited and started barking. What part of Duke's brain was likely responsible for his response?

A) paraventricular nucleus
B) medial amygdala
C) ventromedial hypothalamus
D) median preoptic area

Question 21

Regina and her partner were engaged in sexual intercourse, and as she reached the orgasm phase, she experienced intense pleasure and connection to her partner. What occurred in her brain that resulted in these experiences?

A) Regina's SDN released dopamine.
B) Regina's medial amygdala released dopamine.
C) Regina's MPOA received serotonin.
D) Regina's PVN released oxytocin.

Question 22

While researchers are able to study the brain areas involved in rodent sexual behavior by directly destroying or stimulating brain areas, the brain areas involved in human sexual behavior have been examined using ______.

A) fMRI
B) microdialysis
C) hormone manipulation
D) optogenetics

Question 23

Social psychologists have observed in research studies that men in monogamous relationships rate pictures of models they have never met as significantly more attractive than their own mates. What neuroscientific phenomenon might contribute to men's ratings?

A) activity in the ventromedial hypothalamus
B) testosterone protection of cells in the sexually dimorphic nucleus
C) oxytocin release by the paraventricular nucleus
D) dopamine increases in the nucleus accumbens

Question 24

Which of the following is true about the role of the autonomic nervous system in sexual behavior in males?

A) Small amounts of dopamine stimulate D2 receptors to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
B) Stimulation of D1 receptors activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which increases motivation and erection.
C) Serotonin effects on the autonomic nervous system are responsible for the shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic activity.
D) Serotonin stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing ejaculation.

Question 25

When Will turned 40, he realized he couldn't remember things as well as he used to. He went for his annual checkup, and his doctor tested him for various memory disorders. Sadly, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative memory and movement disease, and was placed on L-DOPA therapy to help with his symptoms. To his surprise, he also noticed a(n) ______ in sexual activity as well.

A) increase
B) decrease
C) plateau
D) return to previous levels

Question 26

Which theory seeks to explain both intimate and aggressive behaviors through levels of certain hormones in the body?

A) the Coolidge theory
B) the Masters and Johnson theory of sexual phases
C) the social influence hypothesis
D) the steroid/peptide theory of social bonds

Question 27

LeSean has high levels of vasopressin and low levels of testosterone. When he has a romantic night with his wife, what would you expect him to do, based on the steroid/peptide theory of social bonds?

A) kiss his wife and bring her flowers
B) have spontaneous sex with his wife
C) punch a waiter in the face for complimenting his wife's appearance
D) flip off a stranger for cutting him off while driving to the restaurant

Question 28

The evolution and later reliance on our ______ system has been suggested as the reason why humans use pheromones less than other mammals as sexual cues.

A) olfactory
B) color vision
C) auditory
D) somatosensory

Question 29

Which of the following is true of the vomeronasal organ?

A) It is required for detecting pheromones.
B) It primarily processes odor cues.
C) It may no longer be functional in people.
D) It sends signals to the nucleus accumbens.

Question 30

When your dog "knows" that the poodle down the street is "in heat," pheromones processed by the vomeronasal organ send signals to the ______ to prompt his sexual interest.

A) paraventricular nucleus
B) sexually dimorphic nucleus
C) nucleus accumbens
D) medial preoptic area

Question 31

It is now popular for expecting parents to have "gender reveal" parties at which the color of the inside of a cake is blue or pink to match information that parents obtain from prenatal scans that either show the presence or absence of a penis. What would be a more accurate name for these parties?

A) gender identity reveal
B) gender role reveal
C) sex reveal
D) sexual orientation reveal

Question 32

You are going to have a blind date with someone named Sam, and your friend says that Sam has testicles. Sam also feels feminine and prefers to have long hair and long, painted fingernails. What is true about Sam?

A) His biological sex is female.
B) His gender identity is that of a man.
C) His gender identity is that of a woman.
D) His gender is masculine.

Question 33

What is reflected by the fact that baby girls are often given dolls and kitchen sets as toys, while baby boys are often given toy trucks and balls?

A) gender roles
B) differences in sexual orientation
C) differences in gender identity
D) sex differences

Question 34

Chuck and Diane have been trying to have a child since they got married three years ago but have been unsuccessful. Upon genetic testing, they learn that Chuck has a defective gene on his Y chromosome that is to blame, which prevents his testes from making sperm cells. Which relative gave him that gene?

A) mom
B) dad
C) one of his grandmothers on either side
D) his paternal grandmother

Question 35

Charles, who is a male, is color-blind. As you will learn later in the book, this trait is due to a defective gene found on the X chromosome. Based on this, which parent gave him the defective gene?

A) mom
B) dad
C) one his grandfathers on either side
D) his maternal grandfather

Question 36

Which of the following is part of the female internal genitalia?

A) clitoris
B) vas deferens
C) fallopian tubes
D) Wolffian ducts

Question 37

Which of the following is part of the external genitalia?

A) Müllerian ducts
B) seminal vesicles
C) labia
D) Wolffian ducts

Question 38

Androgens are produced by the ______.

A) penis
B) ovaries
C) vas deferens
D) testosterone

Question 39

In order for an XX fetus to develop a labia, clitoris, and vagina, the fetus must ______.

A) not be exposed to a protein made from the SRY gene
B) be exposed to androgens
C) be exposed to estrogens
D) be exposed to testosterone

Question 40

Which of the following is a result of an activating effect?

A) development of the clitoris
B) maturation of the genitals
C) beard growth in a male
D) withering of the Wolffian ducts in a female

Question 41

Which of the following is an organizing effect?

A) beard growth in a male
B) development of the clitoris
C) increase in sexual interest
D) menstruation in a female

Question 42

Kim is pregnant with her first child and has her gender ultrasound scheduled for next week. At that appointment, the technician should be able to tell Kim the sex of her infant, as determined by ______.

A) testosterone exposure
B) organizing effects
C) activating effects
D) estrogen exposure

Question 43

Which of the following makes it difficult to determine if there are gender-related differences in behavior and cognition?

A) People tend to treat children dressed as boys or girls in different, subtle ways.
B) The results show evidence for strong differences, but people don't want to accept them.
C) There are large differences between boys and girls, but highlighting those is not politically correct.
D) It is too hard to categorize people into genders for this to be studied.

Question 44

What impact do modern parents have on the gender roles adopted by their children?

A) Parents have far less influence than peers do in terms of gender roles.
B) Parents tend to play differently with male and female children.
C) Parents only encourage the development of masculine gender roles.
D) Parents only encourage the development of feminine gender roles.

Question 45

Which of the following describes a cognitive task on which boys are expected to perform better than girls?

A) learning to speak a foreign language
B) playing the game Tetris
C) finding a city on a map of the United States
D) answering questions about a written passage

Question 46

Which of the following describes a cognitive task on which girls are expected to perform better than boys?

A) remembering where a matching card is placed in the game Memory
B) learning the French word for "cat"
C) learning how to write his/her name
D) playing first-person shooter video games

Question 47

What trend has been observed in the gender differences originally reported by Maccoby and Jacklin (1974)?

A) Differences between boys and girls in verbal ability have become smaller.
B) Differences between boys and girls in aggression have become greater.
C) Differences between boys and girls in spatial ability have become greater.
D) Differences between boys and girls in mathematical ability have become greater.

Question 48

Why are modern researchers less convinced that gender-related differences in cognition and behavior have a physiological basis?

A) Males and females no longer differ much in mathematical abilities, although boys are still overrepresented at the lower and higher extremes.
B) These differences have increased over time due to changes in gender roles.
C) Murder rates are the same in different countries, showing that males are generally more aggressive than females.
D) Males and females now have the same levels of aggression.

Question 49

Transsexual males, who frequently take supplemental estrogen to look more feminine, score higher on measures of ______ than males with unaltered levels of estrogen.

A) mathematical ability
B) visual-spatial ability
C) verbal ability
D) aggression

Question 50

Males who produce low levels of testosterone early in development score more poorly on measures of ______ than males with typical levels of testosterone.

A) reading comprehension
B) mathematical ability
C) verbal fluency
D) visual-spatial ability

Question 51

Older men given ______ can increase their performance on measures of spatial tasks.

A) estrogen
B) estradiol
C) testosterone
D) dihydrotestosterone

Question 52

What change is observed in transsexual females taking testosterone?

A) increases in certain measures of verbal ability
B) increases in certain measures of spatial ability
C) decreases in certain measures of spatial ability
D) no changes in any measure of verbal or spatial ability

Question 53

What is the relationship between testosterone and aggression?

A) Testosterone always causes aggression.
B) High testosterone levels are only the result of aggressive acts already committed.
C) There is a complex relationship between testosterone and aggression.
D) Only extremely violent acts, such as murder, increase testosterone levels.

Question 54

Paula is a transsexual male who is undergoing hormone treatment. In addition to looking more feminine, what change might Paula experience?

A) She will have a higher score on the video game Tetris.
B) She will have improved pronunciation of words in German (a second language for her).
C) She will find it easier to mentally compute her bowling score.
D) She will be able to read novels more quickly.

Question 55

What brain difference between males and females has been observed?

A) Females show more connectivity between the brain hemispheres than males.
B) Males show more connectivity between the brain hemispheres than females.
C) Females show greater connectivity within each brain hemisphere than males.
D) Males show greater connectivity between cortical and subcortical brain areas than females.

Question 56

Which of the following is true about brain areas that might be involved in gender differences in cognition and behavior?

A) Men use frontal lobes to process spatial tasks, while females use the parietal lobes.
B) There is a correlation between the amount of tissue in the surface of the temporal lobe and scores of men on a spatial rotation task.
C) Men use their left hippocampus more than their right hippocampus for spatial memory tasks.
D) In several studies, males processed spatial tasks primarily in the right hemisphere, whereas females engaged both hemispheres equally.

Question 57

What is a reasonable approach to interpreting sex differences in cognition and behavior, according to the textbook?

A) The documented differences in performance between males and females suggest that women should avoid jobs that require mathematical skills.
B) Based on the existing research, only women should be hired as translators.
C) It is best to use the term "other sex" rather than "opposite sex" to reflect the fact that we are more alike than we are different.
D) The term "opposite sex" accurately reflects the large differences between males and females in abilities.

Question 58

Jimmy believes he was born into the wrong sex. He has known all his life that he should have been a girl, and when he was able to, he began dressing like a woman and eventually plans to get gender reassignment surgery to make his body more feminine. Jimmy therefore is ______.

A) heterosexual
B) homosexual
C) bisexual
D) transsexual

Question 59

Jimmy believes he was born into the wrong sex. He has known all his life that he should have been a girl, and when he was able to, he began dressing like a woman and eventually plans to get gender reassignment surgery to make his body more feminine. Jimmy's distress about his gender is called ______.

A) sexual confusion
B) gender utopia
C) gender dysphoria
D) gender reassignment

Question 60

In adolescents, gender dissatisfaction has a heritability of ______.

A) 62%
B) 50%
C) 45%
D) 26%

Question 61

What do researchers believe is a possible mechanism for gender dissatisfaction?

A) an allele of the CYP17 gene that increases testosterone in female-to-male transsexuals and thus leads to failed masculinization of the male brain
B) an allele of the CYP17 gene that increases testosterone in female-to-male transsexuals and thus leads to masculinization of the female brain
C) an allele of the AR gene that increases testosterone in female-to-male transsexuals and thus leads to failed masculinization of the male brain
D) an allele of the AR gene that reduces sensitivity to androgen in male-to-female transsexuals and thus leads to masculinization of the female brain

Question 62

Chloe was born with male genitalia but now lives happily as a woman. What gene effect may have resulted in Chloe being transsexual rather than cisgender (same gender as biological sex)?

A) Her brain may have been masculinized due to the effects of an allele of the CYP17 gene.
B) Her brain may have been masculinized due to the effects of an allele of the AR gene.
C) Her brain may not have been masculinized due to the effects of an allele of the CYP17 gene.
D) Her brain may not have been masculinized due to the effects of an allele of the AR gene.

Question 63

One reason suggested for why a boy can have normal, functioning male sex organs but still believe he should be a girl is that ______.

A) testosterone always triggers female patterns of behavior
B) the genitals and brain develop at different times
C) estrogen plays a key role in both male and female development
D) being a girl is more socially acceptable for boys than being a boy is for girls

Question 64

Which of the following is true with respect to transsexual individuals?

A) Transsexuals are always homosexual before gender reassignment surgery.
B) The brains of transsexual people do not appear different from cisgender (same gender as biological sex) people.
C) Male-to-female transsexuals have smaller bed nuclei of the stria terminalis and third interstitial nuclei of the hypothalamus than other males, and similar to what is seen in cisgender (same gender as biological sex) females.
D) Female-to-male transsexuals have the largest third interstitial nucleus of the hypothalamus of all studied groups.

Question 65

One brain area where male to female transsexuals seem similar to cisgender (same gender as biological sex) females is ______.

A) ventromedial hypothalamus
B) median preoptic nucleus
C) medial preoptic area
D) the third interstitial nuclei of the hypothalamus

Question 66

Male-to-female transsexuals showed activation of the anterior hypothalamus in response to ______.

A) EST
B) AND
C) estradiol
D) testosterone

Question 67

46 XY DSD can result from a deficiency in ______ that is needed for masculinizing the external genitalia.

A) 17?-hydroxysteroid
B) aromatase
C) estradiol
D) estrogen

Question 68

46 XY DSD can result from a deficiency in ______ that is needed for masculinizing the external genitalia.

A) aromatase
B) 5?-reductase
C) estradiol
D) estrogen

Question 69

A group of individuals with 46 XY DSD studied in the Dominican Republic ______.

A) had excess 5 ? reductase
B) had excess 17?-hydroxysteroid
C) had a genetic defect that could be a result of frequent intermarriage among relatives
D) switched from a male to a female gender identity after puberty

Question 70

Which of the following causes an individual with androgen insensitivity syndrome to develop female characteristics and appearance?

A) Estrogen released from the testes and adrenal glands feminizes the body.
B) Menstruation occurs because testosterone receptors are not activated.
C) Müllerian inhibiting hormone is not active.
D) Individuals with AIS are XXY, so they have additional female hormones released at puberty.

Question 71

Surprisingly, which profession is common for a large number of androgen-insensitive males?

A) female professional wrestlers
B) female pilots
C) female politicians
D) female fashion models

Question 72

What is true of AIS individuals?

A) They usually adopt a male gender identity.
B) They have higher spatial abilities than that of other males.
C) They are often described as being "tomboyish."
D) They are similar to females in terms of having higher verbal ability and lower spatial performance.

Question 73

CAH syndrome in females is characterized by ______.

A) androgenization of the internal sex organs
B) an XO chromosome pattern (missing one sex chromosome)
C) masculinization of the external sex organs
D) a lack of androgen receptors

Question 74

Which of the following is true about CAH syndrome?

A) Some evidence shows that CAH individuals have worse spatial performance than females without CAH.
B) Less than 50% of CAH women reared as girls accept a female identity.
C) CAH individuals often choose male-dominated careers and are interested in rough sports.
D) Almost 40% of CAH women identify as heterosexual.

Question 75

If detected in a fetus, CAH can be treated with ______ to correct the 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

A) testosterone
B) estradiol
C) androgen
D) a corticosteroid

Question 76

Samantha was born with an XX genotype and female internal genitalia, but she had an enlarged clitoris and behaved as a tomboy. What was the cause of Samantha's atypical development?

A) an insensitivity to androgen
B) undescended testes
C) a deficiency in 21-hydroxylase
D) poor maternal diet while pregnant

Question 77

Samantha was born with an XX genotype and female internal genitalia, but she had an enlarged clitoris and behaved as a tomboy. What else is likely true of Samantha's behavior?

A) Samantha is better at the video game Tetris and other spatial rotation games than her female friends.
B) Samantha has an easier time learning foreign languages than her female friends.
C) Samantha has better penmanship than her female friends.
D) Samantha is more likely that her other female friends to have romantic relationships with men.

Question 78

Which of the following people will be most likely to exhibit feminine behavior, including a desire to bear children?

A) a person with androgen insensitivity syndrome
B) a person with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
C) a person with a 46 XX DSD
D) a person with ablatio penis

Question 79

What seems to cause the masculine behaviors of people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia?

A) high androgen levels prenatally
B) high androgen levels postnatally
C) insensitivity to androgen in the womb
D) insensitivity to androgen during puberty

Question 80

Which of the following is true of the drug DES?

A) It was originally used as a painkiller.
B) It had an androgen-like effect on the brain but not the genitals.
C) It provided support for the idea that humans are sexually neutral at birth.
D) It affected sexual behavior but not sexual orientation.