Zhou (2014)

• Aim: 


  To investigate the effect of AND and EST on the perception of gender.
• Procedure:

  Participants viewed PLW figures and judged their gender.

  Exposed to either AND, EST, or a control substance.

  Study conducted over three days with counterbalancing.
• Results:

  • Heterosexual males perceived PLW figures as more feminine when exposed to EST
  • Heterosexual females and gay males perceived PLW figures as more feminine when exposed to AND
  • No significant effects on bisexual or lesbian women
• Conclusion: 

  AND and EST can influence gender perception, suggesting that these potential pheromones may affect human sexual behavior.

  This study provides evidence for the potential effect of pheromones on human behavior, specifically in the realm of gender perception and sexual attraction
• Limitations:

  1. Failed replication (Hare et al., 2017) questions reliability
  2. Used significantly higher doses of AND and EST than naturally secreted
  3. Artificial task (PLW) may limit ecological validity
• Strengths:

  1. Experimental design allows for cause-effect relationships
  2. Counterbalanced to control for order effects
  3. Included diverse sexual orientations in the sample
• Method:

  • Experimental design
  • 96 participants (heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual men and women)
  • Participants exposed to AND/EST while performing a point-light walker (PLW) task