Sex differences shown by 2,544 school children on a group scale of intelligence, with special reference to variability.

Abstract

I. The ProblemAt the present moment, when women are taking over to an ever increasing extent the work formerly done by men, the question as to sex differences m mental abilities is of especial interest The problem has always, of course, been of much importance educationally, and of much general interest.Under these circumstances, the comparatively small number of adequate experimental studies of the subject is somewhat surprising The general trend of the experimental results may, for the purposes of the present paper, be briefly indicated 2 .The general problem of sex differences in mentality has been found to involve two distinct questions, (1) Do women as a class average differently from men, either in general intelligence or m certain special traits?(2) Do women vary less about their average than men?As regards the first question, it may be said that no differences of importance have been found in general intelligence.Tt-rman 3 with his thousand I. Q.'s found a slight but negligible superiority for the girls for the ages over which his results are reliable Yerkes, Bridges and Hardwick 4 found no very definite or consistent sex differences.When we come to the question of differences in 1 The writer wishes to acknowledge her obligation to Prof W F.