Zhou et al 2014

• What is the title of the research study discussed?

  Chemosensory communication of gender through two human steroids in a sexually dimorphic manner
• What was the aim of the study?

  To test the qualification of two steroids as sex pheromones influencing human sexual behavior
• What are the two steroids examined in the study?

  Androstadienone (AND) signaling male gender and Estratetraenol (EST) signaling female gender
• How does the study examine the influence of gender communication on sexual behavior?

  By examining whether communications of gender information in a sex-specific manner influence human sexual behavior
• How many participants were involved in the study?

  96 participants
• What groups were included in the participant sample?

  24 heterosexual men, 24 heterosexual women, 24 homosexual men, and 24 homosexual women
• What was the independent variable (IV) in the study?

  A mixture of cloves with or without Androstadienone or Estratetraenol
• What was the dependent variable (DV) in the study?

  People’s tendency to distinguish between male and female stick figures
• What procedure did participants follow during the experiment?

  Participants watched stick figures walk on a screen and determined their gender while inhaling the smell of cloves
• What were the conditions under which participants were exposed to the scents?

  Cloves mixed with Androstadienone (AND), cloves mixed with Estratetraenol (EST), and only cloves as a control group
• What did the results indicate about the influence of AND on participants?

  Smelling AND biased heterosexual females and homosexual males toward assuming the walkers were more masculine
• How did EST influence the participants' perceptions?

  Smelling EST systematically biased heterosexual males and lesbian women toward perceiving the walkers as more feminine or female
• How did the results for bisexual and homosexual females compare to other groups?

  The results from bisexual and homosexual females fell in between those of heterosexual males and females
• What was a key finding regarding pheromones in the study?

  Pheromones influence the communication of gender information in a sex-specific manner
• What does the study suggest about the effects of AND and EST on gender perception?

  AND favors straight females and gay males to perceive the stick figure as more male, while EST favors straight males and gay females to perceive it as feminine
• What are the strengths and limitations of the study?

  Strengths:

  • Cause-and-effect relationship established
  • Increased control and accuracy
  • Clear and concise objectivity
  • Standardization of procedures

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Potential bias from cultural norms
  • Participants may express gender perception based on societal expectations
• What type of experiment was conducted in this study?

  Laboratory experiment
• What was the control condition in the experiment?

  Only cloves were used with no chemicals
• How does the study contribute to understanding human sexual behavior?

  It provides direct evidence that two human steroids communicate opposite-gender information differentially effective to two sex groups based on sexual orientation