Webb Abigail L M, Hibbard Paul B, O'Gorman Rick
Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK.
R Soc Open Sci. 2018 Feb 28;5(2):171566. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171566. eCollection 2018 Feb.
Evidence suggests that females experience adaptive shifts in facial preferences across the menstrual cycle. However, recent discussions and meta-analyses suggest that these findings are equivocal. A previously unexplored question is the extent to which shifts in female preferences are modulated by hormone-dependent changes occurring in low-level vision, such as visual sensitivity. This mechanistic approach has been a novel method for investigating the extent to which complex perceptual phenomena are driven by low-level versus higher-level perceptual processes. We investigated whether the contrast sensitivity function-an early dimension of vision-is also influenced by variation in female reproductive hormones. Visual contrast thresholds were measured for 1, 4 and 16 cycles/degree gratings during the ovulatory, luteal and menstrual phases of the menstrual cycle in naturally cycling women, and women using oral contraceptives. Male participants were tested at similar time intervals. Results showed that visual contrast sensitivity does not differ according to sex, or use of oral contraception, nor does it vary relative to hormonal shifts across the menstrual cycle. These findings suggest that shifts in female preferences are not driven by changes in visual sensitivity, and are therefore likely attributable to changes in higher-level perception or cognition.
有证据表明，女性在月经周期中对面部偏好会出现适应性变化。然而，最近的讨论和荟萃分析表明，这些发现并不明确。一个此前未被探索的问题是，女性偏好的变化在多大程度上受到低水平视觉中发生的激素依赖性变化（如视觉敏感度）的调节。这种机制性方法是一种新颖的方式，用于研究复杂的感知现象在多大程度上由低水平与高水平感知过程驱动。我们研究了对比敏感度函数（视觉的一个早期维度）是否也受女性生殖激素变化的影响。对自然月经周期的女性以及服用口服避孕药的女性，在月经周期的排卵期、黄体期和月经期，测量了她们对1、4和16周/度光栅的视觉对比阈值。男性参与者在相似的时间间隔接受测试。结果显示，视觉对比敏感度不因性别或是否使用口服避孕药而有所不同，也不会随月经周期中的激素变化而变化。这些发现表明，女性偏好的变化并非由视觉敏感度的变化所驱动，因此可能归因于更高水平的感知或认知变化。
