Posted on 09/08/2006 6:46:07 PM PDT by presidio9
Men are smarter than women, according to a controversial new study that adds another cinder to the fiery debate over whether gender impacts general intelligence.
"For 100 years there's been a consensus among psychologists that there is no sex difference in intelligence," said J. Philippe Rushton, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Recent studies, however, have raised questions about the validity of this claim, he said. One such study showed that men have larger brains than women, a 100 gram difference after correcting for body size. Rushton found similar results in a study of gender and brain size.
To determine if there was a link between gender and intelligence, and perhaps between brain size and intelligence, Rushton and a colleague analyzed the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores from 100,000 17- and 18-year-olds.
G-factor
When Rushton and colleagues weighted each SAT question by an established general intelligence factor called the g-factor, they discovered that males surpassed females by an average of 3.6 IQ points.
The g-factor uses only the tough questions in the test. "If I tell you the last four digits of my telephone number and ask you to repeat them back to me, that's a low g-loaded memory test," Rushton explained. "But if I then ask you to repeat them back to me in the reverse order, that suddenly requires a tremendous amount more cognitive processing. It is a very high loaded g-item.”
So the g-factor "is really the active ingredient of the test," Rushton said. "It's the single best, most predictive part of the test."
Rushton suspects that the results are due to males having more brain tissue than females on average. "It's a very reasonable hypothesis that you just need more brain tissue dedicated to processing high ‘g' information," Rushton said.
The study, which Rushton co-wrote with Douglas Jackson, also of the University of Western Ontario, is detailed in the current issue of the journal Intelligence.
Flawed conclusion
Bruce Bracken, a psychologist at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, who was not involved in the new study, said he thinks Rushton and Jackson make a convincing argument for the sample they used.
"The difference appears to be real," Bracken said.
But he questions the team's conclusions. "I believe that the differences probably lie in the variables they hadn't considered," Bracken said.
One plausible explanation is that more females than males decide to go to college and thus take the SAT test. The study did in fact include about 10,000 more females than males.
"This suggests that more males are deciding to do something else," Bracken said. "It may be that the males who would not have scored as high on the SAT chose not to take it, and they chose another route."
A more reliable study, he said, would be to match each male with a very similar female and then compare the results.
The debate goes on
The findings add fuel to a still smoldering debate ignited by former Harvard President Lawrence Summers, who stated early last year that males have a higher intrinsic aptitude in science and engineering.
In a letter from Summers days after his controversial statements, he wrote: "Despite reports to the contrary, I did not say, and I do not believe, that girls are intellectually less able than boys, or that women lack the ability to succeed at the highest levels of science. As the careers of a great many distinguished women scientists make plain, the human potential to excel in science is not somehow the province of one gender or another.”
While Rushton called his results significant, he doesn't think they are a basis for uprooting the field of education.
"I don't think it has any real implications for education policy or schoolwork," he said. "In fact, females actually get better grades than males.”
Plus, he doesn't think the IQ difference would show up in everyday activities. "For the vast majority of people in the vast majority of jobs, it really doesn't translate into very much," he said.
But when it comes to Nobel Prize winners, he said that men could outnumber women 10-to-1. "Where it will really show up is at the very high end of the distribution," Rushton said.
Rushton has left the door open for opposing views and findings that might contradict his new study.
"I wouldn't say it's the last word. We really do need more research on it before we can be absolutely certain," Rushton said.
"Redheads and brunettes..voted for bush."
I'm neither a redhead nor a brunette, gray actually, but I like bush. I also like GW.
"why do you think we are always("pretending") to be lost and not know where we are?"
Way to go.
The "doe eyed, helpless dame" schtick will be harder to pull off, now....;D
It's the "explorer" gene that we have. Probing until we find the right passage.
1. She's always right.
2. See rule #1.
If I've learned anything after 30 years of marriage, that's the thing.
(cause she constantly reminds me. I'm not very trainable)
TMI, but I am as "blonde" as Ann, and my pubes are brown. I have never been near a bottle of Clairol.
There's just no way you can tell. I have had guys in the lockeroom accuse me of being gay for dying my hair.
Trust me on this one: It's an old wive's tale.
Is this why more women than men vote demoratic? Actually though, the person with the highest IQ(230)is Marilyn Von Savant; she's a realtor in Kansas City.
No research was needed for this.
Hey! This natural blonde woman voted for Bush, twice. But the thing about more women voting for Kerry & Gore... that's a lot like the thing about women shifting into reverse, hitting the gas and THEN checking the rear-view: embarrassing, stupid, dangerous and inexplicably true. With a few natural blonde exceptions. ;-D
Also, the're delicious. And good FOR you!
Essentially it is covered by the 10-1 Nobel Prize statistic.
However, I think it is safe to say that men are stupider than women too.
That was awesome, Mad Dash!
Classic! LOL!
And my husband pretends to take the trash out everyday!
Why? I have convinced him that he is smarter?
Well, I think men and women are equal in intelligence. When old age comes along we realize games sre not necessary...
Its all part of the ruse. We "really" (at all times and in all places) know where we are, but just "pretend" being lost so as to give our significant others a sense of superiority and give them something to carp about and it adds to our overall image--thus there is never any need to consult a map or ask for directions; that's for wusses.
Moreover, even IF one gets a little "disoriented," driving around long enough, (regardless of direction or distance) will sooner or later bring that person to where "he" wanted to be in the first place, nest ce pas?
Sit back and enjoy the scenery. lol
TMI
'Belly button piercing'
Eeeek!
Can't bear the thought of that.
"New car....either a convertable or at least bright red.
OR a motorcycle will do."
Check.
"A tattoo."
Considering the salamander with dagger on my me page so probable check.
"Taking up a new hobby that absolutely shocks and terrifies fiends and family."
The Harley achieved that nicely.....;]
Check.
["fiends" and family...it's as though you already know me]....LOL!
"Getting a 10 year younger boyfriend (if single)."
Hubby nixed that one already.
Once I asked if I could bring a pretty 20-something Goth boy home as a "pet" and Himself was not amused.
[party pooper]
"Making hubby ACT like he's 10 years younger (if married)."
He's already a perpetual juvenile delinquent and I'm a "bad influence" on him so check, again....especially since he just got an ear pierced because I whined for it....;D
"Hanging out with all the same age, like minded chicks on the weekend comparing piercings, tats, cars, boyfriends, hubbies and cute shoes."
Hmmmm.....switch buckle-infested biker boots for "cute shoes" and I could see going in for that....;D
"WOW! That sounds like a lot of stress. Hope I never grow old. Nix that.. I want to stay on the right side of the grass... {;0)
Sorry sweetheart, women voted for Clinton too. I respect all FReepettes, but the fact remains, that women are OVERWHELMINGLY liberal. Period. It's not even close. The difference between men & women politically is like 25%. I'm not going to bother looking up the ecact figure right now, but suffice to say that I consider most liberals to be idiots.
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