Effects of Hormones on Behavior

activating effects

Effects that increase activity or arousal levels.

amygdala

Part of the brain involved in processing emotions, especially fear.

androgens

Male sex hormones, such as testosterone.

anorexia nervosa

Eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image.

aphagia

Complete loss of appetite or inability to eat.

emotion

A complex psychological state involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.

evolutionary psychology

The study of how human behavior and cognition can be explained by evolutionary principles.

gender identity

A person's deeply held sense of their own gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth.

hippocampus

Part of the brain involved in memory formation and spatial navigation.

homeostatic mechanism

A process that helps maintain a stable internal environment in the body.

hyperphagia

Excessive hunger and overeating.

hypovolemic thirst

Thirst caused by a decrease in blood volume or body fluids.

innate releasing mechanism (IRM)

A neural mechanism that triggers a fixed action pattern in response to a specific stimulus.

Klüver-Bucy syndrome

A neurological disorder characterized by emotional changes, hypersexuality, and oral exploration of objects.

learned taste aversion

A type of classical conditioning in which an organism learns to avoid a particular taste after it is associated with negative consequences.

medial forebrain bundle (MFB)

A bundle of nerve fibers that connects the hypothalamus to other brain regions involved in motivation and reward.

motivation

The process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.

nonregulatory behavior

Behaviors that are not necessary for the immediate survival of an organism.

obesity

A medical condition characterized by excessive body fat accumulation.

orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)

Part of the brain involved in decision-making and emotional processing.

organizing effects

Effects of sex hormones on the development of the brain and body during prenatal and early postnatal life.

osmotic thirst

Thirst caused by an increase in the concentration of solutes in the body.

pheromone

A chemical substance released by an organism that affects the behavior or physiology of others of the same species.

pituitary gland

A small gland located at the base of the brain that produces and releases hormones.

preparedness

A predisposition to learn certain associations more easily than others due to evolutionary factors.

psychosurgery

Surgical procedures that involve the destruction or alteration of brain tissue to treat psychological disorders.

regulatory behavior

Behaviors that help maintain homeostasis and meet the basic physiological needs of an organism.

reinforcer

A stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again in the future.

releasing hormone

A hormone that stimulates the release of another hormone from the pituitary gland.

sexual dimorphism

Differences in physical characteristics between males and females of the same species.

sexual orientation

A person's enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, both genders, or neither gender.

transgender

A term used to describe individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.