Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the International Psychology of Women
- The Cambridge Handbook of the International Psychology of Women
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Section 1 The Underpinnings of Sex and Gender and How to Study Them
- 1 International and Intersectional Perspectives on the Psychology of Women
- 2 Feminist Theory and Methodologies
- 3 The Contents and Discontents of the Nature–Nurture Debate
- 4 Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
- 5a Sex Differences on the Brain
- 5b Sex/Gender Differences in the Brain and their Relationship to Behavior
- Section 2 Developmental Perspectives of the International Psychology of Women
- Section 3 Cognitive and Social Factors
- Section 4 Work and Family Issues
- Section 5 Inequality and Social Justice
- Section 6 Health and Well-Being
- Epilogue Some Final Thoughts and Take-Home Messages
- Index
- References
5b - Sex/Gender Differences in the Brain and their Relationship to Behavior
from Section 1 - The Underpinnings of Sex and Gender and How to Study Them
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2020
By
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the International Psychology of Women
- The Cambridge Handbook of the International Psychology of Women
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Section 1 The Underpinnings of Sex and Gender and How to Study Them
- 1 International and Intersectional Perspectives on the Psychology of Women
- 2 Feminist Theory and Methodologies
- 3 The Contents and Discontents of the Nature–Nurture Debate
- 4 Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
- 5a Sex Differences on the Brain
- 5b Sex/Gender Differences in the Brain and their Relationship to Behavior
- Section 2 Developmental Perspectives of the International Psychology of Women
- Section 3 Cognitive and Social Factors
- Section 4 Work and Family Issues
- Section 5 Inequality and Social Justice
- Section 6 Health and Well-Being
- Epilogue Some Final Thoughts and Take-Home Messages
- Index
- References
Summary
Sex difference in the brain is of great interest, because it is believed to reveal the “real” or biologically predetermined basis for differences between men's and women’s behavior. However, current neuroscience research does not support this conception. First, most male/female brain differences are attributable to body size; thus, all brain structures are 10% larger in males, but after accounting for individuals’ total brain volume, sex/gender explains only ~1% of the variance in structural volumes at both the cortical and subcortical level. Other differences, such as higher ratio of gray:white matter and density of interhemispheric connections in women, are also found to be due to brain size rather than sex per se.Second, functional measures of brain activity (fMRI) have not revealed reliable differences in the neural circuits that process verbal, spatial, and emotional information, even though men and women as groups perform differently on such tasks. Finally, it is important to appreciate that brain structure and function are both influenced by experience, or neuroplasticity, so even when small differences are identified, it is not possible to determine whether they were induced by “Nature” (sexually differentiated genes and hormone levels) or “Nurture” (gender enculturation). Overall, measures of brain structure and function exhibit far more overlap than difference between males and females. In spite of much hype, current brain findings do not explain any of the well-described male/female differences in behavior, interests, or mental health.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
References
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Lise Eliot is Professor of Neuroscience at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University. Her research addresses brain and gender development, especially the role of neuroplasticity in shaping neural circuitry and behavior. She is the author of two books: What’s going on in there? How the brain and mind develop in the first five years of life (1999) and Pink brain, blue brain: How small differences grow into troublesome gaps (2009). A Chicago native, Eliot received an AB degree magna cum laude in History and Science from Harvard University and a PhD in Cellular Physiology and Biophysics from Columbia University, and she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine.
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