PSY230H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Trait Theory, Heritability, Serotonergic
Document Summary
Overview: hormones - testosterone, neurotransmitters - serotonin. Testosterone levels as a trait: testosterone is the male sex hormone. Women also have testosterone although levels are much lower. Has characteristics of a trait and is stable: rank-order stability. Both men + women differ in their typical levels of testosterone. Retest correlations are 0. 50 over a period of 10 yrs: absolute stability. Absolute levels decrease w/ age after a peak at age 20: heritability. Heritability = 60%; meilke et al 1987: testosterone and marital status, other evidence. Married men w/ children had lower testosterone level than married men w/out children. Testosterone levels of men in a committed rel were more similar to those of married men than to those of unmarried men: causality? (a) trait theory: Testosterone level is a cause of stable marriage + divorce. Attractiveness increases value of minimal investment strategy (b) mate theory: High testosterone levels increase the risk of infidelity. Providing resources for wife and offspring increases fitness.
