Women Vs Female Brain

Sandra Witelson is currently a professor at McMaster University which is located in Hamilton, Ontario. Witelson is a professor for the department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences. Witelson had a love for science at a young age as her father was an intelligent man and encouraged Witelson’s interest in the human body. When first attending McGill University, Witelson had planned to major in mathematics, but changed her mind when she realized that psychology was a better fitting choice (Science.ca). Witelson has an outstanding background of education as she has received her B.Sc, M.Sc, and PhD from McGill University. Witelson’s research interests focus primarily around the brain and its functions based on whether it is a male or female brain. The main focus of Witelson’s research is around biological basis for cognition in male and female brains. Sandra Witelson’s research allows for a further understanding of different cognitive functions within the male and female brains (McMaster University).

Gender differences have been recorded by researches from single neurons in the cell to system level processes (Cahill 2006), and certain scientists proposed that sex hormones influence the development of prefrontal cortex, and this is supposed to be the cause of the differences in working memory performance (Duff & Hampson, 2001). This study further investigated the existence and nature of this gender difference. A sample of 497 Monash University psychology undergraduates (385 females and 112 males; ages 18 – 64) were recruited for this study. Working memory performance was tested with online 'spatial working memory ' test, and 2D:4D finger length ratio was used as an indirect measure of sex hormone levels. The results revealed no sex differences in the working memory performance, but variance in 2D:4D ratio – females had a larger ratio than males. Memory reaction time was negatively correlated with 2D:4D ratio, thus, females had a quicker reaction time.

| Researchers have found that the female hippocampus tends to be larger than the male hippocampus. Based on evidence presented in the Critical Thinking box in the text, “ 'His ' and 'Her ' Brains?” you would be justified in asserting which of the following?1. Because of the differences in the size of the hippocampus, females will be

According to Hetherington and Parke (2002), studies of brain imaging identified that in female bilateralism there were greater amounts of blood flow. The male brain reflects greater lateralization attributing to a higher success rate in spatial tasks and mathematics.

Assumptions about gender are embedded in scientific bias. In Cordelia Fine’s From Scanner to Sound Bite: Issues in Interpreting and Reporting Sex Differences in the Brain, the author examines four scientific issues that are overlooked about sex differences in the brain. She concludes that there are numerous misinterpretations of neuroimaging research that ultimately influence gender biases, and society should be cautious when reading these articles about sex differences.

It was believed that because men’s brains were bigger and had more grey matter they were superior to women with a smaller brain size, women were also called childlike because of this size difference. The thought was also presented that if women were educated

In her scientific work Sex Differences in the Brain Kimura analysis several key differences that cause men and women to excel in various tasks and jobs due to naturally occurring phenomenon in the body and

Some of these gender roles and stereotypes have been created due to the differences in physique, thinking, personality, and behavior that is actually present between men and females. Physical differences are more visible to the eye due to the distinction between primary and secondary sex characteristics for each gender. Males have testes, deeper voices, a bigger body type, and more facial hair, where as women have a smaller body, higher voices, ovaries, and wider hips. (Rathus, 2010, p.448). Cognitive differences have to do with the brain and the way men and women

     Biology too plays a major role in the differences between male and female. Genetically, there are differing chromosomes. XY for male and XX for female. These chromosome differences account for the physical differences that men and women have. In dealing with body composition, males are more likely to be taller and more muscular. Males also have testosterone, the male sex hormone. It is said that males with high levels are more confrontational and smile less. Women that have low levels of estrogen, the female sex hormone, are said to be more disagreeable and confrontational. Maybe because men have such a huge advantage over women by being physically larger, they are supposed to be more aggressive and women having less physical strength are supposed to be the nurturers.

Structural brain differences also occur in humans. One significant behavior difference is between men and women. Men tend to be more sexually aggressive and aroused more often. Women are generally more fluent verbally. The suprachiasmatic nucleus is usually about 2.5 larger in the male brain than the female brain and there is a part in the amygdala that is also larger (9). The suprachiasmatic nucleus affects sexual behavior and larger amounts of testosterone cause it to be larger. In females, the corpus callosum and the anterior commissure are larger (9). Both of these structures are responsible for communication between the two hemispheres in the brain. The better communication between the two sides leads to better verbal fluency. These examples show how small differences in the brain can greatly affect human behavior. This means that it is possible that criminals have differences in their brains which cause them to act in socially unacceptable ways.

With the advancement in technology, neuroimaging has led to the discovery of male brains containing a greater amount of white matter, while female brains contain more gray matter (Gur et al., 1999). Sun et al. (2015) collected imaging data to track the progress of brain network topology over a five-year period and compared the results between gender differences. Participants in the study included 43 males ranging from ages 22-53, and 28 females from ages 21-59. Only those having no brain disorders, mental illnesses, substance abuse, or first-degree family members with mental illnesses were included in the research. Twenty-eight subjects completed the study and received scans over 5 years. The results supported findings from previous

Looking at male and females we can see the noticeable physical differences between the two sex, but besides exterior differences, there are subtle but significant differences within the brain. Spasificly INAH3 which is called “third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus” which is typically about two to three times larger

Medical researchers have been aware for a long time that the male and female brain is different in size. In 2001, researchers from Harvard found certain parts of the brain were differently sized in males and females; this may answer some of the questions about the difference in the male and female brain in regards to development and

Biologically, there are some differences between males and females. Boys do tend to be a bit more aggressive, while girls are usually more verbal. Males also have better spatial skills, which research seems to contribute to their higher testosterone levels, as women with higher testosterone also seem to have greater spatial reasoning skills. (Kimura 50).

The nineteenth century saw the start of the scientific debate in which brain size was presumed to indicate intelligence. Which in turn lead some scientists to the conclusion that men, having on average a larger brain size than women, may be more intelligent.