Abstract
The aims of this study were to replicate the results of a previous study (Resnick et al. 1993) and to extend them by examining the evidence for prenatal exposure to androgens versus sibling imitation as a potential cause of group differences in levels of sensation seeking. Participants were members of the Australian Twin Registry who had participated in a structured interview study and completed the Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale. Three sets of group comparisons were conducted: (1) the sensation seeking scores of females from same-sex twin pairs (n = 1,947) were compared to females from opposite-sex twin pairs (n = 564), (2) females from same-sex twin pairs without a brother (n = 580) were compared to same-sex females with a close-in-age older brother (n = 300), and (3) same-sex females who had a close-in-age older brother (n = 300) were compared to females from opposite-sex twin pairs (n = 564). Females from opposite-sex twin pairs obtained significantly higher scores than females from same-sex twin pairs on the experience-seeking (d = 0.12) and thrill and adventure seeking (d = 0.10) subscales, but not the boredom susceptibility (d = −0.01) or disinhibition (d < 0.01) subscales of the Sensation-Seeking Scale. The modest effects obtained could not be explained by the psychosocial effect of having a close-in-age brother. Considering these effects alongside the overall sex differences in the Sensation-Seeking Scales of experience-seeking (d = 0.12 vs. d = 0.18) and thrill and adventure-seeking (d = 0.10 vs. d = 0.83) suggests that prenatal androgens may actually play a large role in the sex difference in the personality trait of experience seeking, and a smaller role in thrill and adventure-seeking; there was no evidence from this study that prenatal androgens are important for explaining sex differences in the traits of boredom susceptibility or disinhibition.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramovitch R, Corter C, Lando B (1979) Sibling imitation in the home. Child Dev 50:997–1003
Aluja A, Torrubia R (2004) Hostility-aggressiveness, sensation seeking, and sex hormones in men: re-exploring their relationship. Neuropsychobiology 50:102–107
Arden R, Plomin R (2006) Sex differences in variance of intelligence across childhood. Personal Individ Differ 41:39–48
Ball IL, Farnill D, Wangeman JF (1984) Sex and age differences in sensation seeking: some national comparisons. Br J Psychol 75:257–265
Becker J, Arnold A, Berkley K, Blaustein J, Eckel L, Hamson E, Herman J, Marts S, Sadee W, Steiner M, Taylor J, Young E (2005) Strategies and methods for research on sex differences in brain and behavior. Endocrinology 146:1650–1673
Carey G (1986) Sibling imitation and contrast effects. Behav Genet 16:319–341
Chapman LJ, Chapman JP (1983) Infrequency Scale. Unpublished test, Madison
Cohen-Bendahan CCC, Buitelaar JK, van Goozen SHM, Orlebeke JF, Cohen-Kettenis PT (2005a) Is there an effect of prenatal testosterone on aggression and other behavioral traits? A study comparing same-sex and opposite-sex twin girls. Horm Behav 47:230–237
Cohen-Bendahan CCC, van de Beek C, Berenbaum SA (2005b) Prenatal sex hormone effects on child and adult sex-typed behavior: methods and findings. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 29:353–384
Daitzman RJ, Zuckerman M, Sammelwitz P, Ganjam V (1978) Sensation seeking and gonadal hormones. J Biosoc Sci 10:401–408
De Moor MHM, Beem AL, Stubbe JH, Boomsma DI, De Geus EC (2006) Regular exercise, anxiety, depression and personality: a population-based study. Prev Med 42:273–279
Deditius-Island HK, Caruso JC (2002) An examination of the reliability of scores from Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scales, Form V. Educ Psychol Meas 62:728–734
Eaves L (1976) A model for siblings effects in man. Heredity 36:205–214
Even MD, Dhar MG, vom Saal FS (1992) Transport of steroids between fetuses via amniotic fluid in relation to the intrauterine position phenomenon in rats. J Reprod Fertil 96:709–716
Feingold A (1994) Gender differences in personality: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 116:429–456
Feingold A (1995) The additive effects of differences in central tendency and variability are important in comparisons between groups. Am Psychol 50:5–13
Humphreys LG (1988) Sex differences in variability may be more important than sex differences in means. Behav Brain Sci 11:196–197
Lehre A, Lehre KP, Laake P, Danbolt NC (2009) Greater intrasex phenotype variability in males than in females is a fundamental aspect of the gender difference in humans. Dev Psychobiol 51:198–206
Loehlin JC, Martin NG (2000) Dimensions of psychological masculinity-femininity in adult twins from opposite-sex and same-sex pairs. Behav Genet 30:19–28
Medland SE, Loehlin JC, Martin NG (2008) No effects of prenatal hormone transfer on digit ratio in a large sample of same- and opposite-sex dizygotic twins. Personal Individ Differ 44:1225–1234
Muthén LK, Muthén B (2004) Mplus User’s Guide. Muthén and Muthén, Los Angeles
Pomery EA, Gibbons FX, Gerrard M, Cleveland MJ, Brody GH, Wills TA (2005) Families and risk: prospective analyses of familial and social influences on adolescent substance use. J Fam Psychol 19:560–570
Resnick SM, Gottesman II, McGue M (1993) Sensation seeking in opposite-sex twins: an effect of prenatal hormones? Behav Genet 23:323–329
Rosenthal R, Rosnow RL (1991) Essentials of behavioral research: methods and data analysis, 2nd edn. McGraw Hill, New York
Rowe DC, Gulley BL (1992) Sibling effects on substance use and delinquency. Criminology 30:217–233
Ryan BC, Vandenbergh JG (2002) Intrauterine position effects. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 26:665–678
Slomkowski C, Rende R, Conger KJ, Simons RL, Conger RD (2001) Sisters, brothers, and delinquency: evaluating social influence during early and middle adolescence. Child Dev 72:271–283
Slutske W, Meier M, Zhu G, Statham D, Blaszczynski A, Martin N (2009) The Australian twin study of gambling (OZ-GAM): rationale, sample description, predictors of participation, and a first look at sources of individual differences in gambling involvement. Twin Res Hum Genet 12:63–78
Stoel RD, De Geus EJC, Boomsma DI (2006) Genetic analysis of sensation seeking with an extended twin design. Behav Genet 36:229–237
vom Saal FS (1989) Sexual differentiation in litter-bearing mammals: influence of sex adjacent fetuses in utero. J Anim Sci 67:1824–1840
Vuoksimaa E, Eriksson PJP, Pulkkinen L, Rose RJ, Kaprio J (2010) Decreased prevalence of left-handedness among females with male co-twins: evidence suggesting prenatal testosterone transfer in humans? Psychoneuroendocrinology 35:1462–1472
Wilkinson L, The Task Force on Statistical Inference (1999) Statistical methods in psychology journals: guidelines and explanations. Am Psychol 54:594–604
Zuckerman M (1974) Dimensions of sensation seeking. J Consult Clin Psychol 36:45–52
Zuckerman M (2007) Sensation seeking and risky behavior. American Psychological Association, Washington
Zuckerman M, Eysenck S, Eysenck HJ (1978) Sensation seeking in England and America: cross-cultural, age, and sex comparisons. J Consult Clin Psychol 46:139–149
Acknowledgments
Supported by National Institutes of Health Grant MH66206. We thank Dixie Statham, Bronwyn Morris, and Megan Fergusson for coordinating the data collection for the twins, and David Smyth, Olivia Zheng, and Harry Beeby for data management of the Australian Twin Registry. We thank the Australian Twin Registry twins for their continued participation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Edited by Deborah Finkel.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Slutske, W.S., Bascom, E.N., Meier, M.H. et al. Sensation Seeking in Females from Opposite- Versus Same-Sex Twin Pairs: Hormone Transfer or Sibling Imitation?. Behav Genet 41, 533–542 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-010-9416-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-010-9416-3