Sex differences in cognitive abilities: A cross-cultural perspective

Abstract

Studies in Western cultures have indicated significant sex differences in certain cognitive abilities. To determine whether similar differences occur in a non-Western culture, this study administered a cross-linguistic battery of tests to high school students in Japan and America. In both cultures, girls averaged significantly higher scores on a Story Recall test, the Digit-Symbol test and a Word Fluency test whereas boys achieved significantly higher scores on a Mental Rotation test. The analysis of standardized test scores further indicated that the size of the sex difference was culture-independent in three out of these four cases. These results are discussed in the context of the Geschwind and Galaburda [ Cerebral Lateralization. Biological Mechanisms, Associations and Pathology, Bradford Books, Cambridge, Massachusetts] account of the contribution of testosterone to left—right asymmetries in early cerebral development.