The Female Brain

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The Female Brain

The following summarises the main points derived from the chapter Perception and Cognition of the Book THE FEMALE BRAIN:

There are 3 categories of cognition and perceptual tasks: female advantage tasks, male advantage tasks, and neutral tasks. The male advantage tasks are those requiring analysis and manipulation of spatial stimuli (e.g. Rod and Frame, Mental Rotation). The female advantage tasks are those requiring the analysis and manipulation of verbal and visual materials (e.g. Synonyms, Hidden Objects).

Performance on male advantage task improves during the menstrual phase, when female performance becomes more like male performance. Performance on female advantage tasks is better in the mildluteal phase.

The female-male differences on spatial tasks are related primarily to reaction time, while accuracy is usually equal. Females can perform the tasks as accurately as male, but it may take more trials to acquire the skill initially.

There is a female advantage for recognizing and remembering specific rather global information.

There are differences in perceptual and sensory system sensitively across the menstrual cycle. Prior to (or on) ovulation visual acuity is greatest, sensitivity to musk is increases and tactile sensivity is heightened. This makes good sense since the system most useful for finding a mate are most sensitive when the female need them most (Ivery unpublished observation).

"The Female Brain", Second Edition, Cynthia Darlington, 2002, pages 102 - 103

Gender Differences Between Teenaged Brains

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Gender Differences Between Teenaged Brains

Gender differences in cognitive development during adolescence have also been studied in terms of speech development and lateralisation of language in the human brain (Blanton et al., 2004).

This showed significant age-related increases in both white and grey matters in left inferior frontal gyrus in boys aged 11 years compared with girls of the same age, and this overall area was observed as larger in boys.

Both boys and girls showed asymmetry in development with the right side growing faster, but each in slightly different areas of the prefrontal cortex.

Adolescence is a time of profound mental change, which affects the emotional constitution – social awareness, character, and tendencies towards the development of mental illness. It is a period when the individual is especially open to learning and to social developments, and it is also a time when anti-social behaviour can emerge.

Adolescence is a crucial period in terms of emotional development partly due to a surge of hormones in the brain. Sex hormones play an important part in intense teenage emotions and have recently been found to be active in the emotional centre of the brain (i.e., the limbic system).

These hormones directly influence serotonin and other neurochemicals which regulate mood, and contribute to the known thrill-seeking behaviour of teenagers.