Gender similarities in the brain during mathematics development

Some scientists and public figures have hypothesized that women and men differ in their pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) owing to biological differences in mathematics aptitude. However, little evidence supports such claims. Some studies of children and adults show gender differences in mathematics performance but in those studies it is impossible to disentangle intrinsic, biological differences from sociocultural influences. To investigate the early biology of mathematics and gender, we tested for gender differences in the neural processes of mathematics in young children. We measured 3–10-year-old children’s neural development with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during naturalistic viewing of mathematics education videos. We implemented both frequentist and Bayesian analyses that quantify gender similarities and differences in neural processes. Across all analyses girls and boys showed significant gender similarities in neural functioning, indicating that boys and girls engage the same neural system during mathematics development.

Psychology of Computer Use: II. Sex Differences in Prediction of Course Grades in a Computer Language Course

This study investigated the effects of sex, computer aptitude, computer attitudes, computer experience, mathematics aptitude, and mathematics experience on the prediction of course grades in a computer language course. The sample consisted of 119 women and 73 men who completed an assembly-language programming course at a midwestern state university. While men in general had higher mathematics aptitude and computer aptitude, women received higher course grades in the computer language course. Students who failed the course were significantly lower in computer aptitude, computer experience, mathematics aptitude, mathematics experience, and high school GPA. A discriminant analysis for the total sample correctly classified passing and failing students at 81.1% accuracy rate. A short test of computer aptitude significantly added to high school grades and mathematics experience in a regression analysis of course grades. Computer attitudes were not related to course grades.

Sex and Race Differences in Mathematics Aptitude

The differential course-work hypothesis posits that intergroup differences in mathematics aptitude result from differences between groups in both the extent and type of in-school exposure to mathematics and to related quantitatively oriented courses. Differential course-work effects on gender differences in mathematics aptitude are ambiguous, and research on racial differences is limited. This article examines the extent of the reduction in sex and race differences in mathematics competence when accounting for course-work in high school. The findings indicate that the previously more-researched sex differences in mathematics competence may or may not be significantly reduced when course work is controlled, depending on which component of mathematics competence is measured. However, racial differences in all components of mathematics competence are significantly reduced when racial differences in exposure to relevant high school course work are taken into account. These findings imply that simply increasing the exposure of females to math-related high school courses may not be sufficient to reduce sex differences in all aspects of mathematics aptitude. However, standardizing the math (and related) curricula of blacks to that of whites could potentially improve all aspects of black students' mathematics performance.