132 Chapter 4
Summary
I reviewed the evidence for sex differences
in cognitive abilities, specifically spatial
skills, math skills, and verbal skills. Overall,
most of the differences are small. For each
domain, the size of the sex difference varies
with how the ability is assessed. For example,
in the spatial skills domain, there is a more
substantial sex difference favoring males for
one particular skill, the mental rotation task,
but negligible differences for the other spatial
skills. Sex differences in math skills seem to
have disappeared with time, although a sex
difference in SAT scores persists. In terms
of verbal skills, many differences are small,
but the female advantage in writing is an
exception. The size of many sex differences
depends on the nature of the population. For
example, sex differences in verbal skills are
influenced by the population studied; among
children with verbal difficulties, there is a
preponderance of boys over girls. For many
of these areas of cognition, the differences
seem to be getting smaller with time.
I also reviewed the evidence for
sex differences in a number of social
behaviors. Many domains show larger
sex differences when self-report methods
are used compared to more objective
measures of behavior. For example,
self-reports of empathy demonstrate a
substantial sex difference favoring women,
but observational measures are less clear.
Other sex differences in social behavior are
influenced by the environment; for example,
sex differences in aggression are reduced
under conditions of provocation. One
limitation of much of this research is a lack
of external validity because social behavior
is often studied in the laboratory, where the
natural context is removed.
Two stage theories of development,
moral development and social development,
may differ for women and men. Men may
define morality in terms of justice and women
in terms of responsibility or connection
to others. If true, previous theories of
moral development may unfairly represent
women as inferior. However, it appears
that women and men have similar views of
morality but face different moral dilemmas
that call for construing morality differently.
The problem with previous theories
of social development is that the sequence
of establishing an identity before achieving
intimacy may describe men’s experiences
more than women’s.
- After reading one of the meta-
analytic reviews cited in this
chapter, what are some of the
details on the procedures used
and what are some more specific
findings? - For which of the cognitive domains
is there the most evidence of sex
differences? Sex similarities?
3. What are some common moderator
variables of sex differences in math,
verbal, and spatial skills?
4. Among the cognitive domains ex-
amined, which sex differences seem
to be disappearing with time, and
which seem to have persisted?
5. To What does the sex difference in
variabilityrefer?
Discussion Questions
M04_HELG0185_04_SE_C04.indd 132 6/21/11 8:02 AM