Sociologists Have Criticized Scientists Searching for a "Gay Gene" for Their

question 18

Multiple Choice

Sociologists have criticized scientists searching for a "gay gene" for their narrow understanding of sexual orientation. Scientists' approach does not take into account the way biology and the social environment interact to produce sexual behaviors. Which of the following theorists makes this point?

• A) Simon LeVay, who believes that "there's growing evidence to support the idea that biological and developmental factors before birth exert a strong influence on sexual orientation"
• B) Dean Hamer, who examined the DNA of forty gay brothers and found that thirty-three of them had a statistically significant similarity in the Xq28 region of the X chromosome
• C) Social historian Jeffrey Weeks, who points out that even though homosexual acts have been documented throughout history, homosexual identity as we know it today didn't exist before the twentieth century
• D) UCLA scientists Laura Allen and Roger Gorski, who reported that a segment of the fibers that connect the brain's hemispheres is up to one-third larger in homosexual men

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Definitions:

Neighboring Neuron

A neuron that is located adjacent to another neuron, facilitating neural communication.

Split-Brain

A condition resulting from surgery that involves severing the corpus callosum to treat severe epilepsy, leading to separate consciousnesses in the two hemispheres of the brain.

Language Center

Refers to specific regions in the brain involved in language processing and production, such as Broca's and Wernicke's areas.

Hemisphere

Refers to one half of a spherical body, commonly used in reference to the brain or the Earth.