MARKET 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Masturbation, Alpha-Fetoprotein, Sexual Orientation
Document Summary
Biological psychology lecture 8: sex and the brain. Introduction to psychology 1: cognitive and biological psychology. Chromosomes, genes and sex: genotype = the full set of genes an organism possesses. Different genes organised into chromosomes: each our (somatic) cells contains 23 pairs of chromosomes (23 maternal and 23 paternal) total. 23rd pair = sex chromosomes, which eventually produce our physical and behavioural sexual characteristics: 2 types of sex chromosomes referred to as x or y because of their appearance. Female genome has 2 x chromosomes, male genomes has an x and a y. Sex (gonadal) hormones: androgens (testosterone), oestrogens (oestradiol), progesterone, released (but in differing proportions) by both male and female reproductive organs. Also leads to changes in the brain notably the hypothalamus (if no action taken female. Female hypothalamus releases hormones cyclically, the male steadily. The male and female brain: the preoptic nucleus of the rat = the same size at birth for males and females.
