PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Y Chromosome, Secondary Sex Characteristic, Sex Organ

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Caroline F Pukall

Document Summary

200-300 years ago sex was used only to describe gender. Around 100 years ago the term began to be used much more broadly and could be used to refer to intercourse. Female or male as indicated by chromosomes, reproducive organs, hormones and anatomy. At birth, anatomy rules the decision as to whether the infant is a boy or a girl . This decision is more complex than it seems when you examine sex determinaion in the animal kingdom. Xx results in female and xy results in female: reproducive organs. Foetus has no internal sex determining structures unil approximately the 7 th week. A gene from the y chromosome sry needs to be present before the internal reproducive structures that are male begin to produce: hormones. In the presence of testosterone and mis leads to male genitals developing. If this combinaion is not present then female genitals will develop: anatomy. At 16 weeks sexual organs (penis or vulva/vagina) develop.