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Neuropsychologie

Kognitive Geschlechtsunterschiede

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Handbuch Psychologie und Geschlechterforschung

Zusammenfassung

Larry Summers war 2005 als Redner auf einer Konferenz über Wissenschaft und Technik in Massachussetts eingeladen und löste ein politisches und gesellschaftliches Erdbeben aus. Der damalige Präsident der Universität Harvard behauptete, angeborene Unterschiede zwischen Männern und Frauen in bestimmten kognitiven Fähigkeiten seien unter anderem ein Grund dafür, warum es weniger Frauen in wissenschaftlichen Spitzenpositionen gebe. Einige Teilnehmer verließen daraufhin entrüstet den Saal und eine weltweite, hitzig geführte Debatte entbrannte. Aber Summers, den diese Rede letzten Endes seinen Job kostete, hatte nicht einfach bloß behauptet, dass Frauen schlechter in bestimmten kognitiven Fähigkeiten seien, er hatte sich dabei auf wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen berufen. Hat Summers die wissenschaftlichen Befunde falsch interpretiert oder gibt es tatsächlich eine biologische Basis für kognitive Geschlechtsunterschiede? Sind Frauen „von Natur aus“ für bestimmte Berufe weniger geeignet? Dieses Buchkapitel versucht einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der biopsychologischen Forschung über Geschlechtsunterschiede in verschiedenen kognitiven Fähigkeiten zu liefern. Dabei sollen die Fragen beantwortet werden, in welchen kognitiven Bereichen Geschlechtsunterschiede existieren, welche biologischen, psychologischen und sozialen Erklärungsmodelle es für diese Geschlechtsunterschiede gibt und schließlich welche Konsequenzen daraus für unsere Gesellschaft erwachsen.

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  1. Marco Hirnstein
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  2. Markus Hausmann
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Gisela Steins

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Hirnstein, M., Hausmann, M. (2010). Neuropsychologie. In: Steins, G. (eds) Handbuch Psychologie und Geschlechterforschung. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-92180-8_5

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