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6 19 2018 Chapter 16 Part 1 Sex Gender What s the difference Sex Biological Genetic influences Brain structure Hormone levels Gender Socially Culturally constructed What we learn about men women from our culture Science Politics Controversial topic See video on Blackboard Protest of talk about sex diffs by biologist Heather Heying at PSU on 2 17 2018 1 6 19 2018 Science Politics Concern findings of sex diffs might be used to support political agendas status quo Some argue that sex diffs Reflect gender stereotypes Reflect biases of scientists Don t reflect objective reality Science Politics Concern sex diffs conflict w egalitarian values Counterargument understanding sex diffs is essential for scientific psychology social change Ignoring diffs won t make them go away Naturalistic Fallacy Just because something exists in nature doesn t mean it s good History of the Study of Sex Diffs Before 1973 little attention paid to sex diffs 1974 Maccoby Jacklyn The Psychology of Sex Differences Informal summary of research Used meta analysis Draws conclusions across studies Determines size of diffs 2 6 19 2018 Effect Size Used to express diff in standard deviation units Can be calculated for each study of sex diffs averaged across studies Objective assessment of size of diffs Effect Size Represented by d d 20 small d 50 medium d 80 large d men higher d women higher Even large effects do not necessarily have meaning for any one individual Minimalists vs Maximalists Min sex diffs are small inconsequential Max size of diffs should not be trivialized even small effects can be important 3 6 19 2018 Sex Diffs in Personality Extraversion Gregariousness being social group oriented Women slightly higher d 15 Activity level Men slightly higher d 09 Assertiveness Men moderately higher d 50 Sex Diffs in Personality Agreeableness Trusting Women higher d 25 Tender minded Women higher d 97 Who smiles more Women d 60 Sex Diffs in Personality Aggressiveness Men more physically aggressive