A biopsychosocial approach to cognitive sex/gender differences

Abstract

The cognitive abilities of individuals of different sexes/genders mostly overlap, but certain spatial tasks such as mental rotation have reliably showed sex/gender differences favouring men. While previous studies have identified biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors that may contribute to cognitive sex/gender differences, their complex interaction has hardly been considered. The present thesis investigated the interactive effects of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural processes which may partly explain sex/gender differences in mental rotation performance, to derive broader conclusions about the underlying mechanisms of cognitive sex/gender differences. Specifically, we examined (a) whether individual differences in beliefs in own (spatial) abilities mediated the association between sex/gender and (spatial) cognitive performance, (b) whether sex/gender differences in (spatial) cognitive performance may be the result of complex interactions between biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors, and (c) whether beliefs in own (spatial) abilities and (spatial) cognitive performance could be manipulated through feedback, and whether the effect of feedback on cognitive performance was modulated by self-beliefs. Overall, the findings of this thesis advanced our understanding of the origins of observed cognitive sex/gender differences. Firstly, we propose that experimenters investigating (cognitive) sex/gender differences should move away from sex and/or gender as root causes and instead carefully consider factors that can explain individual differences better than sex and/or gender. Specifically, the current findings suggest that (cognitive) sex/gender differences are likely the result of the complex interaction of psychosocial factors, such as beliefs in own cognitive abilities and endorsement of sex/gender stereotypes. Future research should focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms of these effects and consider the above as potential intervention targets. In addition, research should be conducted within the biopsychosocial approach where possible, as it is unique in its potential to improve our understanding of (cognitive) sex/gender differences.