Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Fetal testosterone and empathy.

Rebecca Knickmeyer1, Simon Baron-Cohen, Peter Raggatt

  • 1Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, UK. rk250@cam.ac.uk

Hormones and Behavior
|October 18, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Use of a Gamification Platform to Teach Tropical Medicine: A Pilot Study.

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene·2026
Same author

TRIAC Therapy Relieves Hyperthyroid Symptoms, Lowering T4, T3, and Metabolic Rate in Resistance to Thyroid Hormone β.

The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism·2025
Same author

The Semantic Clinical Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) Chatbot: Preliminary Usability Testing.

Studies in health technology and informatics·2025
Same author

Non-stochastic reassembly of a metabolically cohesive gut consortium shaped by N-acetyl-lactosamine-enriched fibers.

Gut microbes·2024
Same author

Fetal brain growth and infant autistic traits.

Molecular autism·2024
Same author

Effect of Human Infant Gut Microbiota on Mouse Behavior, Dendritic Complexity, and Myelination.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2023
Same journal

Timed melatonin administration increases territorial but not non-territorial aggression in female Siberian hamsters.

Hormones and behavior·2026
Same journal

Neuroendocrine signatures of urban aggression: Arginine vasotocin (AVT) receptor distribution and expression in male song sparrow (Melospzia melodia) brain.

Hormones and behavior·2026
Same journal

Hormones, sex differences, and autism: From single-cause theories to integrated developmental systems.

Hormones and behavior·2026
Same journal

Androgen receptor activation is involved in maintaining goal-directed behavior in levonorgestrel-treated female rats.

Hormones and behavior·2026
Same journal

Sleep hygiene behaviors and actigraphic sleep: a pilot analysis of gender differences.

Hormones and behavior·2026
Same journal

Neuroendocrine basis of affective behavior: what we can learn from differences in sex development (DSD).

Hormones and behavior·2026
See all related articles

Fetal testosterone (fT) influences human social development. Prenatal fT levels correlate with how children describe social interactions, impacting their communication styles and potentially linking to autism theories.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Fetal testosterone (fT) is crucial for brain organization and social behavior in animals.
  • Prenatal androgen exposure in humans can influence masculine behavior and sex-typed traits.
  • Individual variations in fT levels correlate with later sex-typed behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between prenatal fetal testosterone (fT) levels and social communication in 4-year-old children.
  • To explore how fT influences the description of social interactions and psychological motivations.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed fT levels in amniotic fluid from 38 children (24 male, 14 female).
  • Followed up children at age 4 and assessed their descriptions of animated social interactions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Quantified the use of mental state terms, affective terms, intentional propositions, and neutral propositions.

    • Main Results:

    • Females used more mental/affective state terms and intentional propositions than males.
    • fT was negatively correlated with intentional propositions in females and overall (controlling for sex).
    • Males used more neutral propositions than females, with fT positively correlated with neutral propositions overall (controlling for sex).

    Conclusions:

    • Findings suggest fT plays a role in human social development and communication styles.
    • The study discusses the implications for the 'extreme male brain' theory of autism.
    • Prenatal fT influences how children narrate social dynamics and motivations.