PSYC100 - Sex, Gender, & Sexuality

describe sex

biological aspect of male or female

describe gender

societal cultural views of masculinity or femininity, assigned by society

describe gender identity

concept of how male or female you are

Describe sexual orientation

Refers to a person's enduring pattern of sexual attraction toward with members of either their own sex or the other sex (homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual)

describe chromosomes with genes

you have XX ova or XY sperm, only carries one set of DNA

the sex of the baby is determined by the...

sperm

what is the default sex

female, because no hormones

what occurs during the first 6 weeks of a fertilized zygote

it is undifferentiated

what allows the zygote to become male

an override genetic program

what does the sex-determining region (SRY) do on the Y chromosome

it turns on a switch, which allows for the testes to develop

disclamer about SRY

Sometimes the SRY ends up being on the X chromosome instead of the Y chromosome. So sometimes you'll have XX chromosome but develop as a man, or an XY chromosome as a women.

describe XO sex chromosome disorder

turner's syndrome, no ovaries

describe XXX sex chromosome disorder

some physical difficulties, normal fertility

describe XXY sex chromosome disorder

sterile

other sex chromosome disorders

XXXX, XXXY, XYY

what happens after 6 weeks with sex development

critical period and testosterone leads to male genitalia

describe intersex

about 1/1000 people will be born with both sexual organs/characteristics

describe alfred kinsey

psychologist who said that sexuality isn't a categorical thing, it is a continuous measure. that measurement falls on a dimension rather than a categorical attraction level.

on average, men tend to be on the end of the scale (exclusively heterosexual or exclusively homosexual). women tend to be more fluid with their sexuality

there is NO link between sexual orientation and problems....

in a child's relationships with parents

there is NO link between sexual orientation and a fear or hatred...

of people of the other gender

sexual orientation is NOT linked with...

current levels of sex hormones in the blood

there is NO link between sexual orientation and being...

molested or otherwise sexually victimized as a child

what is the bottom line about environment and sexual orientation

if there are environmental factors that influence sexual orientation (aside from in-utero), we do not yet know what they are.

androgen levels low in XY fetuses are...

more likely to be attracted to men

androgen levels high in XX fetuses are...

more likely to be attracted to females

describe the small to modest genetic component in the biology of sexual attraction

20-40%

1. identical twins are more likely to be gay than fraternal twins

2. the more male, older siblings you have, the higher chances of identifying as homosexual for men (vice versa for women)

3. balancing selection hypothesis

describe the balancing selection hypothesis

you want to have a balance of reproducing parts - equal parts male and female