Girls Minds vs. Boys Minds

Pat at Fairer Science points out a recent study to be published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society that has found that there are only small differences between the brain development of boys and girls.

The study, lead by Deborah P. Waber of Children's Hospital Boston, used data from the NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development, which follows a group of children from age 6 to 18. The JotINS is behind a subscription wall, but the study is summarized on Forbes.com. Among the findings:

• Mental performance differs little by gender. "We found a few significant differences that we would have suspected," Waber said. "For example, boys are better at visual and spatial tasks, and girls are better at motor speed, but there are no differences in many other paths, like memory."

The overview of the study by Scientific American has a few more technical details.

Tags: brain development, gender