Henry Andrea, Sattizahn Jason R, Norman Greg J, Beilock Sian L, Maestripieri Dario
Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, USA; Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, USA.
Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, USA.
Horm Behav. 2017 Jun;92:82-92. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.03.010. Epub 2017 May 24.
A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. This study investigated the relation between competition, testosterone (T), and cortisol (C) in women. One hundred and twenty female participants competed against a male confederate in a computerized laboratory task. The task was preprogrammed so that half the women won and half of the women lost the competition. T and C concentrations were measured in saliva samples collected at four time points before and after the competition. Accuracy and reaction time during the competition were recorded. T and C increased directly after the competition, though not significantly for C, and then decreased over time regardless of the competition outcome. Regression analyses demonstrated that baseline T was significantly and positively associated with competition accuracy, though only in individuals who were low in C. Individuals who were high in C showed no relation between T and accuracy. This relation was further qualified by competition outcome. Losers of the competition showed a significant positive relation between baseline T levels and competition accuracy, though only if they were low in C. No relation was found between T and accuracy in losers who were high in C. Winners of the competition showed no relation between T and accuracy, regardless of whether C levels were high or low. These results are in line with the dual-hormone hypothesis, whereby the effects of T on status-seeking behaviors are dependent on C levels for individuals whose status is threatened.
对《激素与人类竞争》特刊的一项贡献。本研究调查了女性竞争、睾酮（T）和皮质醇（C）之间的关系。120名女性参与者在一项计算机化实验室任务中与一名男性同盟者竞争。该任务经过预编程，使得一半女性获胜，一半女性失败。在比赛前后的四个时间点采集唾液样本，测量T和C的浓度。记录比赛期间的准确性和反应时间。比赛后T和C直接升高，不过C升高不显著，然后无论比赛结果如何，随着时间推移都下降。回归分析表明，基线T与比赛准确性显著正相关，但仅在C水平低的个体中如此。C水平高的个体中，T与准确性之间无关联。这种关系因比赛结果而进一步不同。比赛失败者中，基线T水平与比赛准确性之间存在显著正相关，但仅在C水平低的失败者中如此。C水平高的失败者中，未发现T与准确性之间的关联。比赛获胜者中，无论C水平高低，T与准确性之间均无关联。这些结果符合双激素假说，即对于地位受到威胁的个体，T对寻求地位行为的影响取决于C水平。
