Cognitive functioning and gender

Kevin Downing
City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong SAR, China

Gender differences in cognitive functioning and achievement do not always favour one sex (Marsh and Yeung 1998; Royer et al. 1999; Halpern and LaMay 2000; Wigfield et al. 2002). The literature related to intelligence testing suggests that males outperform females on tests of visuo-spatial ability and mathematical reasoning (Gallagher et al. 2002; Halpern 2004; Skaalvik and Skaalvik 2004; Lawton and Hatcher 2005) whereas females do better on tests involving memory and language use (Huang 1993; Temple and Cornish 1993; Lowe et al. 2002). This paper argues that data from the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) allows a practical metacognitive analysis suggesting significant gender differences in certain areas of self-perceived performance.