Development of Sex Differences & Gender Roles ONE

Midterm 3

ladies home journal, 1918

“The generally accepted rule is pink for boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl

white dresses

historically, babies all wore _____

1940s

manufacturers began to associate pink with girls

1970s

women’s liberation

1980s

prenatal testing for baby’s sex

biology

where do sex differences come from?

• hormones (estrogens & androgens)

• evolution

environment

where do sex differences come from?

• perceptions & expectations of adults

• observational learning

• peers & siblings

testes determining factor

the Y chromosome codes for ____, which stimulates development of the testes

testosterone

the testes produce ____ during prenatal development, which stimulates development of male reproductive organs and also affects brain development

masculinization

process by which exposure to androgens alters the brain, rendering it “male-like”

female

default is _____

sexual dimorphism

• differential development of brain areas in the 2 sexes

• male and female hormones act on the brain to produce a distinctly female or male brain

prenatally & immediate postnatal period

hormones are at high levels during which two periods

middle period

which period are hormone levels low?

puberty

where is there a dramatic increase of hormones?

females > males

• short term memory tasks

• verbal fluency taks

• perceptual speed

• fine motor skills

• mathematical calculation

females < males

• spatial relation tasks

• mental rotation tasks

• target directed motor skills

• mathematical reasoning

"on average”

can’t apply differences between gender to individuals, but to groups of people

early-maturing, later-maturing

• timing of menarche

• ____ girls show higher verbal fluency than _____ girls

late-maturing, earlier-maturing

____ girls show higher spatial ability than _____ girls

timing of hormonal rise > type of hormone

the age at which gonadal hormones affect the brain may be an important factor for cognitive development

males

which gender does puberty and rise in gonadal hormones tend to occur later for?

gaps increase with age

for reading and writing, how does the achievement gap between girls and boys change with different grades

iceland

what country has girls with higher scores than boys for math?