Nature V’s Nurture on the Male and Female Brain
20th December 2013
A study recently published by Verma and her team used diffuser tension imaging (DTI) to investigate brain connectivity. They concluded that distinct gender differences existed in the human brain structure; male brains facilitate connections between perception and coordinated action yet female brains are connected between analytical and intuitive processing modes.
Sceptical of drawing such definitive conclusions from this research, Robin McKie describes their interpretation of the study’s findings as “biological determinism at its silly trivial worst”. Whilst his article acknowledges the importance of the DTI technique used and the data collected, it highlights the study’s authors’ vast assumptions when interpreting how the anatomical results translate into cognitive functions as well as the common exaggeration of what are actually very small gender differences. Primarily, McKie advocates for the consideration of how different cultural expectations of boys and girls impact upon how they are treated and the activities they are encouraged to participate in. He argues that it is this that causes the brain to develop in response to its different experiences rather than to a biological predisposition.
It’s time for brain science finally to ditch the ‘Venus and Mars’ cliche. Robin McKie. The Guardian