Atypical Gender Development - SEX & GENDER Flashcards
(30 cards)
define gender dysmorphia
chronic distress due to perception of gender mismatch
excl. interesex conditions
study that found a possible transgender gene
Hare et al (2009)
what did Hare et al (2009) study
112 male to female transexuals’ DNA
findings of Hare et al (2009)
the androgen receptor gene was significiatnly longer in transexuals
what does the longer androgen receptor gene cause
it reduces the ability of testosterone to cause changes in development
when may the brain of transexuals be much less masculine than average
if the threshold level for masculine development is never reached
(biological explanations) what does the BSTc stand for
Bed nucleus of Stria Terminalis
what is the size difference of BSTcs in straight men compared to women
men’s are 2x the size
what do BSTc do
it integrates info from across the limbic system - the info is used to monitor stress-readiness levels
what does BSTc size correlate with
preferred sex rather than biological sex
what did Zhou et al (1995) find - biological explainations
male to female transexuals’ BSTc were similar sizes to female average
what did Kruijver et al (2000) find - biological explanations
female to male transexuals’ BSTc were usually within typical male range
how does stress effect the sex of the brain
it can change the sex of brain regions in less than 15 mins
dendritic spines - female vs male
female neurons tend to have more dendritic spines than male neurons - important for firing/processing speed
what did researchers find happened in the brain after 15 minutes of stress (on rats)
there was a reversal pattern in the rat’s hippocampus
researcher’s conclusion from finding the reversal pattern in rat’s hippocampus
the physical structure of the brain cannot determine sex
what issue does the theory of the physical structure of the brain not being able to determine sex cause
an interactionist/ diathesis/ nature vs nurture issue
during pregnancy, some areas of a baby’s developing brain will change sex characteristics (due to stress). what does this mean
we are all born with a ‘mosaic’ of brain gender regions - all brains are ‘intersex’ or androgynous
what are phantom limbs
sensations like tingling or pain from the removed limb
how do phantom limbs occur
they are due to plasticity and cross-wiring after injury (Ramachandran, 2008)
what do Ramachandran & McGeoch (2007) suggest
sex organs have specific brain locations that are hard-wired
what did Ramachandran & McGeogh (2007) suggest happened if these brain regions’ wiring was disrupted/ developed in an atypical way
genitals can be represented in the opposite way to the person’s sex, which can lead to experiencing a phantom penis
how many female to male transexuals experience the symptom of a phantom penis
2/3
what can experiencing a phantom penis include
phantom erections and a loss of feeling in female genitals
