Publication

Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women

View document

Bibliographic Details
Summary:Social interactions elicit androgen responses whose function has been posited to be the adjustment of androgen-dependent behaviors to social context. The activation of this androgen response is known to be mediated and moderated by psychological factors. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the testosterone (T) changes after a competition are not simply related to its outcome, but rather to the way the subject evaluates the event. In particular we tested two evaluative dimensions of a social interaction: familiarity with the opponent and the subjective evaluation of the outcome as threat or challenge. Challenge/threat occurs in goal relevant situations and represent different motivational states arising from the individuals' subjective evaluation of the interplay between the task demands and coping resources possessed. For challenge the coping resources exceed the task demands, while threat represents a state where coping resources are insufficient to meet the task demands. In this experiment women competed in pairs, against a same sex opponent using the number tracking test as a competitive task. Losers appraised the competition outcome as more threatening than winners, and displayed higher post-competition T levels than winners. No differences were found either for cortisol (C) or for dehydroepiandrosterone. Threat, familiarity with the opponent and T response were associated only in the loser condition. Moderation analysis suggests that for the women that lost the competition the effect of threat on T is moderated by familiarity with the opponent.
Main Authors:Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
Other Authors:Uceda, Sara; Oliveira, Tânia; Fernandes, Alexandre; Garcia-Marques, Teresa; Oliveira, Rui F.
Subject:challenge cognitive appraisal competition familiarity testosterone threat
Year:2013
Country:Portugal
Document type:article
Access type:open access
Associated institution:Repositório do GIMM – Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
Language:English
Origin:ARCA
_version_ 1868974514549817344
author Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
author2 Uceda, Sara
Oliveira, Tânia
Fernandes, Alexandre
Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Oliveira, Rui F.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
Uceda, Sara
Oliveira, Tânia
Fernandes, Alexandre
Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Oliveira, Rui F.
author_role author
contributor_name_str_mv ARCA
country_str PT
creators_json_txt [{\"Person.name\":\"Oliveira, Gonçalo A.\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Uceda, Sara\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Oliveira, Tânia\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Fernandes, Alexandre\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Garcia-Marques, Teresa\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Oliveira, Rui F.\"}]
datacite.contributors.contributor.contributorName.fl_str_mv ARCA
datacite.creators.creator.creatorName.fl_str_mv Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
Uceda, Sara
Oliveira, Tânia
Fernandes, Alexandre
Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Oliveira, Rui F.
datacite.date.Accepted.fl_str_mv 2013-07-05T00:00:00Z
datacite.date.available.fl_str_mv 2015-11-04T11:13:34Z
datacite.date.embargoed.fl_str_mv 2015-11-04T11:13:34Z
datacite.rights.fl_str_mv http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
datacite.subjects.subject.fl_str_mv challenge
cognitive appraisal
competition
familiarity
testosterone
threat
datacite.titles.title.fl_str_mv Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv ARCA
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
Uceda, Sara
Oliveira, Tânia
Fernandes, Alexandre
Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Oliveira, Rui F.
dc.date.Accepted.fl_str_mv 2013-07-05T00:00:00Z
dc.date.available.fl_str_mv 2015-11-04T11:13:34Z
dc.date.embargoed.fl_str_mv 2015-11-04T11:13:34Z
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/469
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Frontiers Research Foundation
dc.rights.cclincense.fl_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv challenge
cognitive appraisal
competition
familiarity
testosterone
threat
dc.title.fl_str_mv Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
description Social interactions elicit androgen responses whose function has been posited to be the adjustment of androgen-dependent behaviors to social context. The activation of this androgen response is known to be mediated and moderated by psychological factors. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the testosterone (T) changes after a competition are not simply related to its outcome, but rather to the way the subject evaluates the event. In particular we tested two evaluative dimensions of a social interaction: familiarity with the opponent and the subjective evaluation of the outcome as threat or challenge. Challenge/threat occurs in goal relevant situations and represent different motivational states arising from the individuals' subjective evaluation of the interplay between the task demands and coping resources possessed. For challenge the coping resources exceed the task demands, while threat represents a state where coping resources are insufficient to meet the task demands. In this experiment women competed in pairs, against a same sex opponent using the number tracking test as a competitive task. Losers appraised the competition outcome as more threatening than winners, and displayed higher post-competition T levels than winners. No differences were found either for cortisol (C) or for dehydroepiandrosterone. Threat, familiarity with the opponent and T response were associated only in the loser condition. Moderation analysis suggests that for the women that lost the competition the effect of threat on T is moderated by familiarity with the opponent.
dirty 0
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format article
fulltext.url.fl_str_mv https://arca.gimm.pt/bitstreams/051a4beb-411f-4de1-96c2-b0d3e6c65877/download
id arca_d0a5ea7aa71bbce2e6d51def9817c97e
identifier.url.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/469
inst_facet_str urn:organizationAcronym:arca{{{_:::_}}}Repositório do GIMM – Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
instacron_str arca
institution Repositório do GIMM – Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
instname_str Repositório do GIMM – Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
language eng
network_acronym_str arca
network_name_str ARCA
oai_identifier_str oai:arca.gimm.pt:10400.7/469
organization_str_mv urn:organizationAcronym:arca
person_str_mv Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
Uceda, Sara
Oliveira, Tânia
Fernandes, Alexandre
Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Oliveira, Rui F.
publishDate 2013
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Frontiers Research Foundation
repo_facet_str urn:repositoryAcronym:arca{{{_:::_}}}ARCA
reponame_str ARCA
repository_id_str urn:repositoryAcronym:arca
service_str_mv urn:repositoryAcronym:arca
spelling engFrontiers Research Foundationpt_PTSocial interactions elicit androgen responses whose function has been posited to be the adjustment of androgen-dependent behaviors to social context. The activation of this androgen response is known to be mediated and moderated by psychological factors. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the testosterone (T) changes after a competition are not simply related to its outcome, but rather to the way the subject evaluates the event. In particular we tested two evaluative dimensions of a social interaction: familiarity with the opponent and the subjective evaluation of the outcome as threat or challenge. Challenge/threat occurs in goal relevant situations and represent different motivational states arising from the individuals' subjective evaluation of the interplay between the task demands and coping resources possessed. For challenge the coping resources exceed the task demands, while threat represents a state where coping resources are insufficient to meet the task demands. In this experiment women competed in pairs, against a same sex opponent using the number tracking test as a competitive task. Losers appraised the competition outcome as more threatening than winners, and displayed higher post-competition T levels than winners. No differences were found either for cortisol (C) or for dehydroepiandrosterone. Threat, familiarity with the opponent and T response were associated only in the loser condition. Moderation analysis suggests that for the women that lost the competition the effect of threat on T is moderated by familiarity with the opponent.application/pdfpt_PTThreat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in womenOliveira, Gonçalo A.Uceda, SaraOliveira, TâniaFernandes, AlexandreGarcia-Marques, TeresaOliveira, Rui F.HostingInstitutionOrganizationalARCAe-mailmailto:arca.repository@gimm.ptarca.repository@gimm.ptDOIIsPartOf10.3389/fpsyg.2013.003892015-11-04T11:13:34Z2013-07-052013-07-05T00:00:00ZHandlehttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/469http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2open accesschallengecognitive appraisalcompetitionfamiliaritytestosteronethreat662090 bytesliteraturehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501journal article2013-07-05http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2application/pdffulltexthttps://arca.gimm.pt/bitstreams/051a4beb-411f-4de1-96c2-b0d3e6c65877/downloadFrontiers in Psychology418
spellingShingle Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
Oliveira, Gonçalo A.
challenge
cognitive appraisal
competition
familiarity
testosterone
threat
status SINGLETON
subject.fl_str_mv challenge
cognitive appraisal
competition
familiarity
testosterone
threat
title Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
title_full Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
title_fullStr Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
title_full_unstemmed Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
title_short Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
title_sort Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women
topic challenge
cognitive appraisal
competition
familiarity
testosterone
threat
topic_facet challenge
cognitive appraisal
competition
familiarity
testosterone
threat
url http://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/469
visible 1