Fairness: A Dual-Hormone Regulation Approach

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENCE (BUSINESS

The causal effect of testosterone on men’s competitive behavior is moderated by basal cortisol and cues to an opponent’s status: Evidence for a context-dependent dual-hormone hypothesis

Testosterone has been theorized to direct status-seeking behaviors, including competitive behavior. However, most human studies to date have adopted correlational designs, and findings across studies are inconsistent. This experiment (n = 115) pharmacologically manipulated men's testosterone levels prior to a mixed-gender math competition and examined basal cortisol (a hormone implicated in stress and social avoidance) and context cues related to an opponent's perceived status (an opponent's gender or a win/loss in a prior competition) as factors that may moderate testosterone's impact on competitive behavior. We test and find support for the hypothesis that testosterone given to low-cortisol men evokes status-seeking behavior, whereas testosterone given to high-cortisol men evokes status-loss avoidance. In the initial rounds of competition, testosterone's influence on competitive decisions depended on basal cortisol and opponent gender. After providing opponent-specific win-lose feedback, testosterone's influence on decisions to reenter competitions depended on basal cortisol and this objective cue to status, not gender. Compared to placebo, men given exogenous testosterone who were low in basal cortisol showed an increased tendency to compete against male and high-status opponents relative to female and low-status opponents (status-seeking). Men given exogenous testosterone who were high in basal cortisol showed the opposite pattern-an increased tendency to compete against female and low-status opponents relative to male and high-status opponents (status-loss avoidance). These results provide support for a context-dependent dual-hormone hypothesis: Testosterone flexibly directs men's competitive behavior contingent on basal cortisol levels and cues that signal an opponent's status. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Role of Mindfulness in Economic Risk-Taking

Despite evidence of mindfulness’ effects in down-regulating risk-taking associated with mental and physical health, there is almost no research examining mindfulness’ role in economic risk-taking. To address this gap, across three studies, I tested the association between dispositional mindfulness (Study 1: N=505; Study 2: N=191), and a brief intervention (Study 3: N=161), on economic risk-taking and the optimality of those risky decisions. In an MTurk sample, dispositional mindfulness was weakly and negatively correlated with risk-taking in an independent gambles task, in which risk-taking was optimal on average. In the same sample, dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with risk-taking in a Multiple Price List (MPL) gambles task, in which individuals higher on dispositional mindfulness took fewer optimal risks. However, in an undergraduate sample, dispositional mindfulness was positively associated with risk-taking in the MPL gambles task, with individuals higher on dispositional mindfulness taking more optimal risks (specifically at 1 SD). Also, a brief mindfulness intervention in undergraduates increased risk-taking in the hot-Columbia Card Task (CCT), albeit higher risk-taking in the CCT was non-optimal. I also hypothesized that, in tasks that engaged affective processes (i.e., independent gambles and CCT), mindfulness’ effects on risk-taking would depend on an individual’s trait neuroticism. In the independent gambles task, for those higher on dispositional mindfulness, neuroticism was positively correlated with optimal risk-taking. But at lower levels of dispositional mindfulness, the neuroticism-risk-taking relationship was reversed. In the CCT, there was no significant mindfulness by neuroticism interaction due to overarching sex differences. The predicted mindfulness by neuroticism interaction was found in women: for women in the control condition, higher neuroticism was positively associated with non-optimal risk-taking, but for those in the mindfulness condition the neuroticism-risk-taking relationship was suppressed. However, for men in the control condition, higher neuroticism was negatively associated with non-optimal risk-taking, but in mindfulness condition men showed an overall increase in non-optimal risk-taking. The role of affect, testosterone and cortisol, and cognitive appraisals were tested as mechanisms, however these analyses did not yield any consistent results. Together the findings from this dissertation highlight the nuanced and complex nature of mindfulness’ association with economic risk-taking.10000-01-0

The Causal Effect of Testosterone on Men’s Competitive Behavior is Moderated by Basal Cortisol and Cues to an Opponent’s Status: Evidence for a Context-Dependent Dual Hormone Hypothesis

Testosterone has been theorized to direct status-seeking behaviors, including competitive behavior. However, most human studies to date have adopted correlational designs, and findings across studies are inconsistent. This experiment (n = 115) pharmacologically manipulated men’s testosterone levels prior to a mixed-gender math competition and examined basal cortisol (a hormone implicated in stress and social avoidance) and context cues related to an opponent’s perceived status (an opponent’s gender or a win/loss in a prior competition) as factors that may moderate testosterone’s impact on competitive behavior. We test and find support for the hypothesis that testosterone given to low-cortisol men evokes status-seeking behavior, whereas testosterone given to high-cortisol men evokes status-loss avoidance. In the initial rounds of competition, testosterone’s influence on competitive decisions depended on basal cortisol and opponent gender. After providing opponent-specific win-lose feedback, testosterone’s influence on decisions to re-enter competitions depended on basal cortisol and this objective cue to status, not gender. Compared to placebo, men given exogenous testosterone who were low in basal cortisol showed an increased tendency to compete against male and high-status opponents relative to female and low-status opponents (status-seeking). Men given exogenous testosterone who were high in basal cortisol showed the opposite pattern - an increased tendency to compete against female and low-status opponents relative to male and high-status opponents (status-loss avoidance). These results provide support for a context-dependent dual hormone hypothesis: Testosterone flexibly directs men’s competitive behavior contingent on basal cortisol levels and cues that signal an opponent’s status