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. 2017 Dec 20:11:250.
doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00250. eCollection 2017.

No Robust Association between Static Markers of Testosterone and Facets of Socio-Economic Decision Making

Laura Kaltwasser  1 , Una Mikac  2 , Vesna Buško  2 , Andrea Hildebrandt  3
Affiliations

No Robust Association between Static Markers of Testosterone and Facets of Socio-Economic Decision Making

Laura Kaltwasser et al. Front Behav Neurosci. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Digit ratio (2D:4D) and facial width-to-height ratio (WHR) are supposedly static indicators of testosterone exposition during prenatal and pubertal lifetime, respectively. Both measures have been linked to aggressive and assertive behavior in laboratory economic games, as well as in real world scenarios. Most of the research-often limited to male subjects-considers the associations between these behaviors, traits, and hormonal markers separately for 2D:4D and WHR. Reported associations are weak and volatile. In the present study we had independent raters assess 2D:4D and WHR in a sample of N = 175 participants who played the ultimatum game (UG). Respondent behavior in UG captures the tendency to reject unfair offers (negative reciprocity). If unfair UG offers are seen as provocations, then individuals with stronger testosterone exposition may be more prone to reject such offers. Economists argue that negative reciprocity reflects altruistic punishment, since the rejecting individual is sacrificing own resources. However, recent studies suggest that self-interest, in terms of status defense plays a substantial role in decisions to reject unfair offers. We also assessed social preferences by social value orientation and assertiveness via self-report. By applying structural equation modeling we estimated the latent level association of 2D:4D and WHR with negative reciprocity, assertiveness and prosociality in both sexes. Results revealed no robust association between any of the trait measures and hormonal markers. The measures of 2D:4D and WHR were not related with each other. Multigroup models based on sex suggested invariance of factor loadings allowing to compare hormone-behavior relationships of females and males. Only when collapsing across sex greater WHR was weakly associated with assertiveness, suggesting that individuals with wider faces tend to express greater status defense. Only the right hand 2D:4D was weakly associated with prosocial behavior, indicating that individuals with lower prenatal testosterone exposure are more cooperative. Rejection behavior in UG was not related with 2D:4D nor WHR in any of the models. There were also no curvilinear associations between 2D:4D and prosociality as theorized in the literature. Our results suggest that previous studies over-estimated the role of static markers of testosterone in accounting for aggression and competition behavior in males.

Keywords: 2D:4D; assertiveness; economic decision making; facial width-to-height ratio; social preferences; testosterone.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trial Scheme of the Ultimatum Game. Each trial started with a fixation cross shown for a variable time of 500–1000 ms, followed by a photograph of a proposer for 1500 ms, and another fixation cross presented for 500–1,000 ms; then, participants received an offer about splitting 10 cent which they had to accept or reject via button press. Afterwards, a fixation cross was presented again for 500 ms. Participants received feedback about the sum booked to their account before the next trial started after 1,250 ms. Portrait taken from Ebner et al. (2010) for which the depicted individual gave consent to be displayed in research-related publications.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of the measurement model of prenatal and pubertal organizational effects of hormones. Rectangles represent measured variables and circles are used to depict latent variables. 2D:4D at the left and the right hand was measured by two different raters. Rater specific values are used as measured variables to estimate latent variables that represent prenatal and pubertal organizational effects accounted for measurement error due to the rater. Unidirectional path represent factor loadings and bidirectional path are used for depicting correlations. Short arrows (with a small circle) represent residual variance (non-reliability of a measured variables). For simplicity, we use only arrows to indicate error variance if there is no residual correlations between residuals. 2D:4D left—left hand 2D:4D estimation taking rater induced measurement error into account; 2D:4D right—right hand 2D:4D estimation; WHR—facial width-to-height ratio estimate taking rater induced measurement error into account; a, b, c indices on factor loadings are used to indicate that non-standardized loadings were fixed to equality within factors; standardized loadings are depicted in the figure. Significant relationships between latent factors at p < 0.05 are written bold.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of the measurement model of prosociality, negative reciprocity and assertiveness. See the caption of Figure 2 explaining the general conventions of the graphical language visualizing latent variable models. SVO, Social value orientation; UG, Ultimatum Game; Rb1, Rejection of unfair offers in bloc 1; Rb2, Rejection of unfair offers in bloc 2; Rb3, Rejection of unfair offers in bloc 3; Aggre, Aggressive; Ego, Egoistic; Ass, Assertive. Significant relationships between latent factors at p < 0.05 are depicted in bold.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation of the structural model testing the relationship between prenatal and pubertal organizational effects of hormones and prosociality, negative reciprocity and assertiveness. Significant relationships between latent factors at p < 0.05 are depicted in bold. See the caption of Figure 2 explaining the general conventions of the graphical language visualizing latent variable models. Note that for simplicity Figure 4 only depicts the latent variables. The measurement models of each latent variable included in this structural model was the same as shown in Figure 2 for the latent variables representing prenatal and pubertal organizational effects and Figure 3 for the latent variables quantifying prosociality, negative reciprocity and assertiveness.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Parameter gradients for latent factor means as estimated by Local Structural Equations to test non-linear associations between 2D:4D and prosociality. In (A,C) the x-axis depicts average values of the measured 2D:4D across the two raters at the left hand side. In (B,D) the x-axis depicts average values of the measured 2D:4D across the two raters at the right hand side.
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