AGGRESSION AND INTEREST IN INFANTS IN WOMEN WITH COMPLETE ANDROGEN INSENSITIVITY SYNDROME
Open Access
Author:
Barcousky, Sarah Elizabeth
Area of Honors:
Psychology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Sheri A Berenbaum, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Sheri A Berenbaum, Thesis Supervisor Peter Andrew Arnett, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
CAIS gender hormones chromosomes aggression interest in infants
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the Y chromosome on aggression and interest in infants. Self-reports of aggression and interest in infants were obtained from 44 women with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS), who have XY chromosomes but cannot respond to testosterone, and 14 of their unaffected female relatives, who served as controls. As hypothesized, women with CAIS were more significantly more likely than controls to choose physical aggression as a response to a hypothetical conflict situation. However, there was no significant difference between women with CAIS and control women in their interest in infants, possibly due to the small sample size. The difference in aggression has important implications for future research on the effects of the Y chromosome on sex-typed behavior.
