Book
Gender and our brains : how new neuroscience explodes the myths of the male and female minds / Gina Rippon.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781524747022
- Physical Description: xxii, 424 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: First American edition.
- Publisher: New York : Pantheon Books, 2019.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Cognitive neuroscience. Gender identity > Research. |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Prince Rupert Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Rupert Library | 612.8233 Ripp (Text) | 33294002059806 | Adult Non-Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Choice Reviews : Choice Reviews 2020 February
Rippon (Aston Univ., Birmingham) here thoroughly covers the impact of social factors on the human brain, making the case that biological sex differences are trivial compared to social context. The author provides extensive, interesting, up-to-date information on how social context shapes the brain as well as gender. The text purposefully (though in a rather disorganized sequence) lays out problems with existing research on sex and gender and calls for caution when carrying out and interpreting such research. This author, however, is unfortunately biased toward a presupposition that any positive claim about sex differences in the brain is sexist ("neurosexism"). The author is mistaken in arguing that because there are demonstrated effects of social experience, there can be no important innate sex difference, such that postnatal male and female brains develop differently due to biological difference. Some valid limitations of extrapolating from animal models are mentioned, but in largely dismissing them, the author undermines her own argument. To discuss "gender in the brain" without thoroughly discussing animal research is a serious limitation.Overall, this text does provide some important information on the role of social context but lacks a balanced perspective. Summing Up: Not recommended.
--R. Forbes-Lorman, Ripon college
Robin Forbes-Lorman
Ripon college
Robin Forbes-Lorman Choice Reviews 57:06 February 2020 Copyright 2020 American Library Association. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2019 June #2
An authoritative debunking of the notion of a gendered brain. In her debut book, Rippon (Cognitive Neuroimaging/Aston Univ., Birmingham) examines sex-difference research and finds a dismaying history of bad science and an abundance of design flaws, inadequate controls, and innumeracy. Neurosexism abounds, she asserts, citing studies and naming names with assurance and a touch of acerbity. She calls misconceptions about gender differences "whac-a-mole" myths: Mistaken assumptions, she writes, have "been variously whacked over the years but can still be found in self-help manuals, how-to guides and even in twenty-first-century arguments about the utility or futility of diversity agendas." Further, research findings are often misinterpreted by the press, creating in the public imagination an inaccurate picture of the so-called "male" or "female" brain. Rippon notes that the view of a gendered brain, which has a long history, is stubbornly persistent today. She cites both social psychologist Gustave Le Bon's 1895 declaration that women "rep resent the most inferior forms of human evolution" and Google engineer James Damore's 2017 blog about the biological causes for the absence of women in technology. Looking at numerous scientific studies, the author sees surprisingly little evidence for brain sex differences in newborns. Rather, she argues, the differences in behavior and interests between boys and girls, and men and women, can be explained by the impact of a gendered world on the human brain. As she notes, gender clues surround children from birth. Attitudes and unexamined assumptions can be toxic, and toys, sports, clothing, and colors have a powerful impact. Young children, writes Rippon, are social sponges, especially attuned to social rules, and their experiences in a pink-vs.-blue world can change the way their brains form. Ultimately, her message is that a gendered world will produce a gendered brain. The result, unfortunately, is that boys and girls are shaped with different expectations and are often driven down career different paths. Well-crafted and thoroughly documented, this is a must-read for parents, teachers, and anyone of either sex who cares for children. Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2019 May #4
Neuroscientist Rippon painstakingly refutes in this exhaustive study long-held beliefs about gender's role in the development and functioning of the brain. Rippon demonstrates how researchers' expectations can alter a study's findings and how false statistics become lodged in the popular imagination and repeated as facts long after they are disproven, such as the popular belief that women "on average use 20,000 words a day and men use only 7,000." The most illuminating aspect of her account is an explanation of the "plastic" nature of the brain, particularly among infants and children. The brain's "trajectory may not be fixed but can be diverted by tiny differences in expectations and attitudes." Consequently, children as young as 21 months can recognize genders, and by age 5 are adhering rigidly to gender roles (centered around choice of toys, for example) based on the perceived expectations of the adults around them. This is a powerful and well-constructed argument for gender as a social constructânurture rather than nature. Some of the harder science in the book is not layperson-friendly; Rippon's frequently accessible contradiction of sexist myths also contains massive amounts of neuroscience data. Nevertheless, those interested in gender-related brain differences (or lack thereof) will find this riveting.
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.(Aug.)
