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GENDER & SEXUAL ORIENT-
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Hormones and "Sex-Typical" Behaviors
An interesting question to ask is how are these sex-typical behaviors related to hormones? Plus, how can we really tell? How can we locate the source of behavior- is it due to certain chemicals in the brain or due to society around us? One study has shown that women tend to have varying cognitive ability levels at different points of their menstrual cycle. To understand the relation of hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, click here: the Menstrual Cycle and Hormone Levels. Scientists Ellis & Ebertz found that women tend to perform better at verbal ability tasks and fine motor skills tasks when their estrogen levels are high. Similarly, when their estrogen levels were low, they performed better on spatial tasks. Remember- spatial tasks are associated with favoring men. What does this suggest to you? It seems that when the brain is affected by different levels of hormones that, as a result, there is evidence of different behavior. But, remember, in other examples, such as the transsexuality example, hormones are not directly involved. So, we've seen structural differences... we've seen hormonal differences... what do we make of all this?
 Do the structures of the brain and hormones really account for all differences?
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