Zhou et al. - Pheromones BLOA

Title

chemosensory communication of gender through two human steroids in a sexually dimorphic manner

Background

as recent studies have suggested the existence of human sex pheromones, with a particular inerest in steroids androstadienone (AND) and estratetraenol (EST), the study further examined this prediction

Aim

to test the qualification of the two steroids as sex pheromones (AND, signaling maleness; EST, signaling femaleness) by examining whether communication of gender information in a sex-specific manner influences human sexual behavior

Participants

96 participants
24 heterosexual men, 24 heterosexual women, 24 gay men, 24 lesbian women (the homosexual female group included self-reported bisexual females)

Procedure

participants were asked to watch stick figures walking on a screen and to determine their gender.
participants were exposed to the smell of cloves in identical jars which they inhaled.
first condition: cloves were mixed with AND
second condition: cloves were mixed with EST
control condition: only cloves were used

Results

findings showed that smelling AND biased heterosexual females and homosexual males, but not heterosexual males, toward perceiving the walkers as more masculine.
by contrast, smelling EST systematically biases heterosexual males and lesbian women toward perceiving the walkers as more feminine.
the results from bisexual and homosexual females fell in between those of heterosexual males and females.

Conclusion

pheromones influence communication of gender information in a sex-specific manner.
the study is providing the first direct evidence that the two human steroids communicate opposite gender information that is differentially effective to the two sex groups based on their sexual orientation

Method

laboratory (true) experiment
IV: mixture of cloves with or without AND or EST
DV: people's tendency to distinguish between male and female stick figures

Critical thinking: methodological considerations

strengths:
- cause and effect relationship
- increased control and accuracy
- objectivity
- standardization
- internal validity
limitations:
- total control = impossible
- artificial
- biased results
- ethics (protection from harm)

Critical thinking: alternaive explanations

due to the influence of cultural norms, the participants may have expressed their gender perception of the stick figure based on what makes them fit in with the expectations of society (social desirability bias)

Critical thinking: gender considerations

the study is not gender biased because both men and women (of different sexualities) were used as participants

Critical thinking: ethical considerations

the study was ethical because there was informed consent, they were debriefed, their identities remained confidential, they were not deceived, and could withdraw while they were protected from mental and physical harm

Critical thinking: cultural considerations

as the ethnicity and cultural background of the participants was not revealed, it cannot be ensured whether the study was not culturally biased

Critical thinking: applications

the results of the study create greater insight into the effects of potential human pheromones, catalyzing further research and curiosity of their impact on human behavior

How does this study demonstrate pheromones and their effect on behavior?

since the results suggest that AND favors straight females and gay males to perceiving the stick figure as more male, whereas EST favors straight males and gay females to perceive the stick figure as feminine, the putative pheromones have a supposed effect on communication of gender in a sex-specific manner