| Abstract: | Reviews the literature on the influence of perinatal gonadal hormones on adult nonsexual behavior patterns in rodents and primates. Perinatal androgens increase the display of adult aggressive behavior in rodents. No research on primates has investigated the effect of perinatal hormones on fighting per se. Instead, high energy expenditure, a trait associated with masculinity in monkeys, has been studied. Female monkeys treated with prenatal androgen exhibit patterns of energy expenditure similar to those of males. Human females exposed to prenatal androgen have been reported by their parents and themselves to show "tomboyish" behavior (i.e. high levels of energy expenditure in play). The effect of perinatal androgen on maternal behavior in rodents is less clear because both male and female rodents will show all aspects of maternal behavior when presented with newborn animals. Human females exposed to prenatal androgen excess have been reported by their parents and themselves to show low levels of maternalism. To explain why genetic females exposed to prenatal androgens were different from controls in regard to energy expenditure and maternalism, researchers have proposed that the behavior changes were a sequel to a masculinizing effect of androgen on the fetal brain. Alternative explanations to postnatal factors are proposed. The influence of perinatal androgen on IQ is also considered. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
