This week we have Dr. Christoph Eisenegger from the University of Vienna visiting us and giving a talk in the Social, Economic, and Decision Psychology colloquium (Thursday,  June 2, 2016, 13:00, title and abstract follow).

The role of testosterone in human social decision making

While experimental animal research has investigated the role of the androgen system in animal behavior extensively, research in this area in healthy humans is strongly driven by theoretical models and less by empirical evidence. I will present data on the role of the androgen system in competitiveness and strategic gambling. The approach involves combinations of baseline measures of testosterone, single-dose drug administration, genetic analysis, with decision making paradigms of competition. The results extend our limited understanding of the role of testosterone in human social interaction by providing supporting evidence for a role of this hormone in social dominance.