Sex and Cognition

By Doreen Kimura

Book Overview

Honorable Mention in the category of Psychology in the 1999 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Annual Awards Competition presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. In this fact-driven book, Doreen Kimura provides an intelligible overview of what is known about the neural and hormonal bases of sex differences in behavior, particularly differences in cognitive ability. Kimura argues that women and men differ not only in physical attributes and reproductive function, but also in how they solve common problems. She offers evidence that the effects of sex hormones on brain organization occur so early in life that, from the start, the environment is acting on differently wired brains in girls and boys. She presents various behavioral, neurological, and endocrinological studies that shed light on the processes giving rise to these sex differences in the brain.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262112361
• ISBN13: 9780262112369
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Closest thing to an authoritative work

No author can write an authoritative work in a field this complex and controversial, but Kimura has come close. At times her own views do seem to color her interpretation of certain studies but she is always careful to provide enough information to allow readers to reach their own conclusions.

Nicely written and well-grounded in science

This is an excellent summary of the current science of male/female brain differences, nicely written and well-grounded in experiment.I read this followed by Sex on the Brain by Blum, Brain Sex by Moir/Jessel, and The Essential Difference by Baron-Cohen. If you only read one book, read The Essential Difference; if two, then read Sex and Cognition followed by The Essential Difference. The other two are worth reading as well, since they both have some unique material and perspectives. If you read all 4, I think the order I happened to read them worked well.