Inferring Sexual Interst from Behavioral Cues as a Function of 2D:4D Ratio and Sex
Faculty Mentor
Jillene Grover Seiver
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
5-8-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
5-8-2024 10:45 AM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Psychology
Abstract
Research over the past 40 years has shown that male college students perceive more sexual intent in friendly female behavior than female college students do. This effect may be due to male socialization to view friendly women as sexually receptive or due to biological predispositions. The current study sought to determine whether the differences between males and females might be attributable to differences in prenatal exposure to testosterone. We predicted that people with a smaller 2D:4D ratio, a measure of prenatal testosterone exposure, would perceive greater sexual intent in friendly female scenarios.
Psychology students rated the sexual intent of female actors in scenarios describing friendly behaviors, and then we took digital photos of their outstretched hands, palms up. Afterward, the length of the index finger (2D) and the ring finger (4D) on each participant’s photographed hand was measured, and the 2D:4D ratio for each hand was calculated. The ratings of the sexual intent of female actors behaving in a friendly way (e.g., “She smiled at him”) were analyzed in a MANOVA. Males gave higher ratings of sexual intent than females did, and participants with smaller 2D:4D on their right hands gave higher ratings of sexual intent than participants with larger or equal 2D:4D ratios. These results support a biological basis for sex differences in interpretations of friendly female behavior.
Recommended Citation
DeLeon, E., & Seiver, J. G. (2024, May 7-8). Inferring sexual interest from behavioral cues as a function of 2D:4D ratio and sex. EWU Creative Works Symposium, Cheney, WA.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Inferring Sexual Interst from Behavioral Cues as a Function of 2D:4D Ratio and Sex
PUB NCR
Research over the past 40 years has shown that male college students perceive more sexual intent in friendly female behavior than female college students do. This effect may be due to male socialization to view friendly women as sexually receptive or due to biological predispositions. The current study sought to determine whether the differences between males and females might be attributable to differences in prenatal exposure to testosterone. We predicted that people with a smaller 2D:4D ratio, a measure of prenatal testosterone exposure, would perceive greater sexual intent in friendly female scenarios.
Psychology students rated the sexual intent of female actors in scenarios describing friendly behaviors, and then we took digital photos of their outstretched hands, palms up. Afterward, the length of the index finger (2D) and the ring finger (4D) on each participant’s photographed hand was measured, and the 2D:4D ratio for each hand was calculated. The ratings of the sexual intent of female actors behaving in a friendly way (e.g., “She smiled at him”) were analyzed in a MANOVA. Males gave higher ratings of sexual intent than females did, and participants with smaller 2D:4D on their right hands gave higher ratings of sexual intent than participants with larger or equal 2D:4D ratios. These results support a biological basis for sex differences in interpretations of friendly female behavior.
