From Scanner to Sound Bite: Issues in Interpreting and Reporting Sex Differences in the Brain

Cordelia Fine*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    39 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Neuroimaging research is yielding reports of sex differences in the brain. Yet the likelihood of spurious findings of sex differences, the teething problems of new technology, the obscurity of the relation between brain structure and psychological function, and difficulties inferring mental states from neuroimaging data all require us to be considerably cautious in interpreting such results. Unfortunately, these issues are often overlooked in popular accounts. Together with a tendency for people to regard neuroscientific information as more scientific than behavioral data, and as indicative of male and female "nature," these issues point to the worrisome possibility of public misunderstanding of what contemporary neuroscience tells us about gender.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)280-283
    Number of pages4
    JournalCurrent Directions in Psychological Science
    Volume19
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Oct 2010

    Keywords

    • gender
    • neuroethics
    • neuroimaging
    • science communication

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