Lesson 4.3.3.3

4.3.3.3 Biological explanations of gender development Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.3.3.3, Biological explanations of gender development: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 3: Issues and options in Psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is meant by a biological explanation of gender development?

    • An account in which gender differences are attributed to chromosomes and hormones
    • An account in which gender is entirely determined by social rewards
    • An account in which gender is explained by unconscious conflicts
    • An account in which gender is determined by the number of siblings

  2. What is the role of prenatal androgens in biological explanations of gender development?

    • Androgens only influence the development of the skin
    • Androgens before birth have no effect on later behaviour
    • Exposure to androgens before birth can influence later gender-typed behaviour
    • Androgens are only produced after puberty

  3. Girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are exposed to high levels of androgens before birth. What did Berenbaum and Hines find about their play preferences?

    • They showed no difference from girls without CAH
    • They showed the same play preferences as boys without CAH in every respect
    • They showed more male-typical play preferences than girls without CAH
    • They showed a preference for play that was unrelated to gender

  4. Why are studies of CAH girls used to support biological explanations of gender?

    • They show that CAH only affects adult behaviour
    • They prove that all girls have the same level of androgens
    • They show that social factors have no role in gender development
    • They offer a natural experiment in which prenatal androgen exposure varies while the social environment is similar

  5. Which evaluation of biological explanations of gender is most appropriate?

    • They identify real biological influences, but they often underplay the role of learning and culture
    • They have been proven wrong by all research on gender
    • They completely explain all gender differences without any need for other factors
    • They apply only to males and not to females

  6. What does the term 'chromosomes' refer to in a biological explanation of gender?

    • The regions of the brain involved in emotional processing
    • The hormones released by the pituitary gland into the blood
    • Structures in cells that carry the genetic information, including the sex chromosomes X and Y
    • The social roles assigned to males and females

  7. Which study design would best test the role of prenatal hormones on gender-typed behaviour?

    • A study of reading speed in a single school
    • A study comparing children exposed to different prenatal hormone levels on play or toy preference measures
    • A study of adult income levels across different occupations
    • A study asking adults to recall their childhood toys

  8. A biological psychologist argues that the difference in male and female aggression is caused by testosterone alone. What is the main weakness of this claim?

    • It has no relevant evidence to support it at all
    • It only applies to children under five
    • It cannot be linked to hormones in any study
    • It ignores the influence of learning, culture and social context on aggressive behaviour

  9. Which statement best describes a limitation of research on prenatal hormones and gender behaviour?

    • Prenatal hormone studies always use random allocation to hormone levels
    • Correlational data cannot show that hormones alone caused the behaviour, since environment may also differ
    • Prenatal hormone research has never involved children
    • Prenatal hormones can be measured only in adults

  10. Which of the following is a biological factor in the development of gender?

    • Learning gender labels at school
    • Watching gender-typed role models on television
    • Exposure to sex hormones during the prenatal period
    • Being rewarded by parents for gender-typed play

  11. Why might it be difficult to separate biological from social influences on gender development?

    • Biological influences cannot be measured in any way
    • Social influences only occur after children have reached adulthood
    • Biological and social influences never occur at the same time
    • Children are raised in social environments from birth, so biological and social influences interact

  12. What would support an interactionist view of gender development?

    • Evidence that social learning has no effect on any behaviour
    • Evidence that chromosomes have no role in development
    • Evidence that prenatal hormones influence behaviour in ways that depend on social experience
    • Evidence that gender is determined solely by the number of siblings

  13. A girl with CAH shows high levels of male-typical play. Which explanation is the biological one?

    • Her peers encouraging male-typical play at school
    • Her prenatal exposure to high androgen levels
    • Her decision to copy male role models
    • Her parents rewarding male-typical play after birth

  14. Which concept refers to the role of hormones before birth in shaping later behaviour?

    • Organisational effects of hormones
    • Gender constancy
    • Gender schema processing
    • Operant conditioning

  15. Which statement best describes the relationship between chromosomes and behaviour?

    • Chromosomes influence development indirectly, through the hormones and brain structures they help to shape
    • Chromosomes have no influence on any aspect of development
    • Chromosomes directly control every behaviour a person shows
    • Chromosomes only influence behaviour in adults

  16. Which statement best describes the role of chromosomes in biological explanations of gender development?

    • Chromosomes determine gender identity directly without any hormones
    • Chromosomes, such as SRY on the Y chromosome, begin processes that shape gonads and hormone production
    • Chromosomes only affect gender after puberty has begun
    • Chromosomes have no role at all in gender development

  17. What is the main claim of the hormonal explanation of gender differences in behaviour?

    • Hormones only affect the skin and have no influence on behaviour
    • Hormones fully determine a person's social roles regardless of experience
    • Hormones are irrelevant once a child reaches the age of two
    • Hormone exposure before and after birth can shape the brain and influence gender-typed behaviour

  18. Which evaluation of the CAH study by Berenbaum and Hines is most appropriate?

    • It supports a prenatal hormone influence on play, but CAH girls may also differ in social treatment, which is a confounding factor
    • It is irrelevant because CAH only affects boys
    • It shows that social treatment has no effect on children's play
    • It proves that prenatal hormones fully cause all gender differences in adult life

  19. A researcher argues that gender-typed play must be purely social because boys and girls are treated differently by adults. What is the strongest reply from a biological explanation?

    • Differences in prenatal hormone exposure can be observed in children whose social treatment is similar
    • Differences in play are never observed in any children at all
    • Differences in play are caused only by chromosomes after birth
    • Adults cannot influence children's play, so the argument is irrelevant

  20. Which concept refers to hormones acting early in development to shape the brain permanently?

    • Activational effects of hormones
    • Operant reinforcement
    • Organisational effects of hormones
    • Gender constancy

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