Chapter 6: Hormones and Behavior
Chapter adapted from: Nelson, R. J. (2023). Hormones & behavior. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/c6gvwu9m
The goal of this chapter is to introduce you to the topic of hormones and behavior. This field of study is also called behavioral endocrinology, which is the scientific study of the interaction between hormones and behavior. This interaction is bidirectional: hormones can influence behavior, and behavior can sometimes influence hormone concentrations. Hormones are chemical messengers released from endocrine glands, and they travel through the blood system to influence the nervous system to regulate behaviors such as aggression, mating, and parenting of individuals.
Learning Objectives
- Define the basic terminology and basic principles of hormone–behavior interactions.
- Explain the role of hormones in behavioral sex differentiation.
- Explain the role of hormones in aggressive behavior.
- Explain the role of hormones in parental behavior.
- Provide examples of some common hormone–behavior interactions.
