RESUMEN
The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) is a test introduced by Frederick (2005). The task is designed to measure the tendency to override an intuitive response that is incorrect and to engage in further reflection that leads to the correct response. The consistent sex differences in CRT performance may suggest a role for prenatal sex hormones. A now widely studied putative marker for relative prenatal testosterone is the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D). This paper tests to what extent 2D:4D, as a proxy for the prenatal ratio of testosterone/estrogens, can predict CRT scores in a sample of 623 students. After controlling for sex, we observe that a lower 2D:4D (reflecting a relative higher exposure to testosterone) is significantly associated with a higher number of correct answers. The result holds for both hands' 2D:4Ds. In addition, the effect appears to be stronger for females than for males. We also control for patience and math proficiency, which are significantly related to performance in the CRT. But the effect of 2D:4D on performance in CRT is not reduced with these controls, implying that these variables are not mediating the relationship between digit ratio and CRT.
Asunto(s)
Cognición/fisiología , Hormonas Esteroides Gonadales/fisiología , Efectos Tardíos de la Exposición Prenatal/psicología , Adulto , Estrógenos/sangre , Femenino , Dedos , Lateralidad Funcional , Humanos , Masculino , Matemática , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Embarazo , Desempeño Psicomotor , Caracteres Sexuales , Testosterona/sangreRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To examine the decision making of Alzheimer's patients in a simple, classic game focusing on their capabilities to implement social norms and common social preferences. METHODS: Patients with Stage I (very mild and mild) Alzheimer's disease (AD) were asked to participate in a dictator game, a type of game in which a subject has to decide how to allocate a certain amount of money between himself and another person. RESULTS: When we compared the results of treatments involving AD patients (at an early stage) with those of identical treatments involving patients with mild cognitive impairment or healthy elderly controls, with similar ages and social backgrounds, we did not find statistically significant differences. DISCUSSION: This finding suggests that Stage I AD patients are as capable of making decisions involving basic social norms and preferences as other individuals of their age. Whatever brain structures are affected by the disease, they do not appear to influence, at this early stage, the neural basis for cooperation-enhancing social interactions.