ERIC Number: EJ1431451
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2056-7936
Available Date: N/A
Gender Similarities in the Brain during Mathematics Development
npj Science of Learning, v4 Article 19 2019
Some scientists and public figures have hypothesized that women and men differ in their pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) owing to biological differences in mathematics aptitude. However, little evidence supports such claims. Some studies of children and adults show gender differences in mathematics performance but in those studies it is impossible to disentangle intrinsic, biological differences from sociocultural influences. To investigate the early biology of mathematics and gender, we tested for gender differences in the neural processes of mathematics in young children. We measured 3-10-year-old children's neural development with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during naturalistic viewing of mathematics education videos. We implemented both frequentist and Bayesian analyses that quantify gender similarities and differences in neural processes. Across all analyses girls and boys showed significant gender similarities in neural functioning, indicating that boys and girls engage the same neural system during mathematics development.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Mathematics Education, Children, Child Development, Cognitive Development, Sex Stereotypes, Sociocultural Patterns, Brain
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL); National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Graduate Education (DGE); National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1459625; 1419118; R01HD064636
Author Affiliations: N/A