Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Horm Behav. 2012 Jan;61(1):31-6. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.09.012. Epub 2011 Oct 1.
Testosterone (T) is generally theorized within a trade-off framework that contrasts parenting and low T with competitive challenges and high T. Paradoxically, baby cues increase T, prompting questions of whether T or its behavioral expression has been mischaracterized. We tested 55 men using a novel interactive infant doll paradigm, and results supported our hypotheses: We showed for the first time that baby cries do decrease T in men, but only when coupled with nurturant responses. In contrast, baby cries uncoupled from nurturant responses increased T. These findings highlight the need to partition infant cues and interactions into nurturant versus competitive-related contexts to more accurately conceptualize T, as per the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds. This experiment also supports the utility of this paradigm for studying effects of infant interactions on hormonal responses, which may provide critical insights into ameliorating the darker sides of caregiving (e.g. anger, frustration, violence) and enhancing the positive sides (e.g. intimacy, nurturance, reward).
睾酮（T）通常被理论化为一种权衡框架，该框架将育儿和低 T 与竞争挑战和高 T 进行对比。矛盾的是，婴儿的暗示会增加 T，这引发了关于 T 或其行为表现是否被误解的问题。我们使用一种新颖的互动婴儿娃娃范式测试了 55 名男性，结果支持了我们的假设：我们首次表明，婴儿的哭声确实会降低男性的 T，但前提是要与养育反应相结合。相比之下，与养育反应分离的婴儿哭声会增加 T。这些发现强调了需要将婴儿的暗示和互动划分为养育相关和竞争相关的情境，以更准确地按照类固醇/肽社会纽带理论来概念化 T。该实验还支持了该范式用于研究婴儿互动对激素反应影响的效用，这可能为改善养育的阴暗面（例如愤怒、沮丧、暴力）和增强积极面（例如亲密、养育、奖励）提供关键见解。
