Major sex differences in intellectual function seem to lie in patterns of ability rather than in overall level of intelligence (IQ).... Men, on average, perform better than women on certain spatial tasks. In particular, men have an advantage in tests that require the subject to imagine rotating an object or manipulating it in some other way. They outperform women in mathematical reasoning tests and in navigating their way through a route. Further, men are more accurate in tests of target-directed motor skills—that is, in guiding or intercepting projectiles. Women tend to be better than men at rapidly identifying matching items, a skill called perceptual speed. They have greater verbal fluency, including the ability to find words that begin with a specific letter or fulfill some other constraint. Women also outperform men in arithmetic calculation and in recalling landmarks from a route. Moreover, women are faster at certain precision manual tasks, such as placing pegs in designated holes on a board.
ATTRIBUTION:
Doreen Kimura, Canadian psychologist, educator. “Sex Differences in the Brain,” Scientific American (September 1992).
