BATTLE OF THE SEXES

Over the weekend, as I sat down to re-read the heavily-illustrated book, 'Mapping the Mind', edited by medical journalist Rita Carter & neuropsychologist Christopher Frith [with contributions from Simon Baron-Cohen, Francis Crick, Antonio Damasio, Uta Frith, Richard Gregory, Joseph LeDoux, Sir Roger Penrose, John Maynard Smith, Steven Rose & other leading researchers in brain science] some interesting observations from Dr Simon Baron-Cohen caught my immediate attention once again.

Here's the extract:

"After decades of research into whether and how the sexes differ psychologically, some differences are repeatedly found that, though not true of every individual, certainly emerge when groups are compared.

On average . . .

- Men are better than women at rotating images mentally;

- While women are quicker at spotting when two images are alike;

- And better at generating words;

- Men are more accurate in targeting tasks;

- Women can recognise missing objects;

- Spotting when a particular shape is embedded in a complex pattern is more easily done by men;

- But women can do fine manual tasks, like placing pegs in a board, more easily;

- Mathematical calculation favours women;

- Yet mathematical reasoning comes more readily to men; . . . "

All I know from my previous readings is that the corpus callosum is larger in females, which probably explain their superiority in verbal fluency, than in males.