Preface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to Volume 1

Introduction and Overview
    A Hot Issue in Contemporary Psychology
    Theoretical Approaches
    Psychobiosocial Hypotheses
    The Notion of Cognitive Abilities
    Values and Science
    Political and Social Ramifications
    Terminology
    Selective Nature of All Reviews
    About This Book

Searching for Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities
    The Need for Research
    Types of Research Investigations
    Validity, Fairness, and Bias
    Understanding Research Results
    Statistical and Practical Significance
    Developmental Issues
    Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
    Evaluating Research Claims

Empirical Evidence for Cognitive Sex Differences
    Intelligence
    The When, Where, Who, and How of Differences
    Perceptual and Motor Skills
    A Cognitive Abilities Approach
    Memory
    Verbal Abilities
    Visual-Spatial Abilities
    Quantitative Abilities
    Relationship Between Visual--Spatial Abilities and Quantitative Abilities
    Thinking About the Magnitude of the Differences
    Cross-Cultural Comparisons
    Underlying Cognitive Processes
    Are Sex Differences Decreasing?
    Similarities
    Chapter Summary

Biological Hypotheses Part I: Genes and Hormones
    The Notion of Biological Determination
    Behavioral Genetics
    Sex Hormones
    Chapter Summary

Biological Hypotheses Part II: Brains, Evolutionary Pressures, and Brain--Behavior Relationships
    A Brief Introduction to the Brain
    Cognitive Neuroscience: Brain--Behavior Relationships
    The Sexually Dimorphic Brain
    Sexual Dimorphism in Hemispheric Specialization
    Sex Differences Within Each Cerebral Hemisphere
    Evolutionary Pressures
    Sexual Orientation and the Brain
    Critique of Biological Hypotheses
    Chapter Summary

Psychosocial Hypotheses Part I: Sex Role Stereotypes Through the Life Span
    Gender as a Social Construction
    Sex Roles and Sex Role Stereotypes
    How Stereotypes Direct and Reflect Reality
    Sex-Linked Socialization Practices Through the Life Span
    Chapter Summary

Psychosocial Hypotheses Part II: Theoretical Perspectives for Understanding the Role of Psychosocial Variables
    A Theory of Theories
    The Psychoanalytic Perspective
    Learning Theories
    Social Learning Theory
    Expectancies--Values--Motives
    Bent Twigs
    Social Ecology
    Cognitive Schema Theory
    Performance and Strategy Variables
    A Comparison of the Theories
    Chapter Summary

Using a Psychobiosocial Perspective to Understand Cognitive Sex Differences
    Myopia USA
    Changing Data, Changing Minds
    A Psychobiosocial Perspective
    Into the Future

References

Author Index

Subject Index

29 janvier 2001