Post: #1

New research, this time coming from Israel.

Here is a link to thee actual paper.

We all know that men and women are different. Only a maniac thinks that you can make one into the other. Even this research acknowledge it. But it asks a different question: Is there an actual difference which can be identified, so we can show what is "male brain" and what is "female brain"?

Good question. The answer that this research provides is "NO".

A good argument stated in the begining:

Quote:Joel (4, 5) has recently argued that the existence of sex/gender differences in the brain is not sufficient to conclude that human brains belong to two distinct categories. Rather, such a distinction requires the fulfillment of two conditions: one, the form of the elements that show sex/gender differences should be dimorphic, that is, with little overlap between the forms of the elements in males and females. Two, there should be a high degree of internal consistency in the form of the different elements of a single brain (e.g., all elements have the “male” form).

I agree. If there is a "male brain" (Ironically I know I exist...), then it has to have elements only showing in such a brain, and not showing in a female brain (e.g. intelligence ).

The paper states that all evidence trying to prove that claim were weak.
The research itself could not find even a continuum of "male-female":

Quote:Consistent with previous findings (14, 15), our analysis of the structure of the human brain, which included most regions of gray and white matter, as well as measures of connectivity, revealed many nondimorphic group-level sex/gender differences in brain structure. There was extensive overlap of the distributions of females and males for all brain regions and connections assessed, irrespective of the type of sample, measure, or analysis (including analysis of absolute brain volumes). This extensive overlap undermines any attempt to distinguish between a “male” and a “female” form for specific brain features. Rather, the forms that are evident in most females are also the ones evident in most males

So there is no quantitative measure of "male-female" brain traits.
No problem. You can always measure it in other ways.

Quote:Another noteworthy observation is that the size of the sex/gender difference in some regions varied considerably between different datasets (Table S1). This finding is in line with previous reports that the existence and direction of sex/gender differences may depend on environmental events and developmental stage

We know that when boys are encouraged to act like girls they lose their masculinity. Why not influence the brain as well?

Quote:Our findings are in line, however, with more recent thinking that masculinization and feminization are two independent processes and that sexual differentiation progresses independently in different brain tissues

Wow, that was close. I almost thought that we ar[/quote]e all "people" and that gender was a social construct .

Quote:Our study demonstrates that although there are sex/gender differences in brain structure, brains do not fall into two classes, one typical of males and the other typical of females, nor are they aligned along a “male brain–female brain” continuum. Rather, even when considering only the small group of brain features that show the largest sex/gender differences, each brain is a unique mosaic of features, some of which may be more common in females compared with males, others may be more common in males compared with females, and still others may be common in both females and males

So we are not there yet. We know we are different, but that difference barely manifests in our brain.

One thing that this research is missing is LIMITATIONS.
This is critical?

Where are they?

I want to help my fellow Israelis, so here are a few:
1. Sample size - they had hundreds per tested set. What ages, medical condition and other features that might affect the brain are unlisted. That's a problem because it can be biased.
2. What has an effect on the brain - I'm no neurologist, but I know that mood, medical condition and even what you are being told can have an effect. Was it assessed or evaluated? Did not see any reference.
3. Race - No mention. Important variable.
4. Time of the month -

I guess people will think of other missing limitations.
Still, it is an important step to understand male-female. Knowing that the brain may not be where to look for very specific difference.

Post: #2

This does not bode well for your user name.

Post: #3

I'm of the belief that the human brain is relatively similar in structure and function.

It's only with the added cocktail of hormones that we start seeing the differences in the sexes occur. Testosterone and estrogen are the ultimate factors in determining this.

Post: #4

Maybe it's time to stop with the studies and start using our God-given powers of observation and reason. I bet I could conduct a study proving Ariana Grande's music is better than the Beatles if I set out the right criteria. What would that mean, though?

With that in mind, I present to you a documentary on the Wright Brothers, who took the time to invent something we all take for granted: flight.

We can do studies, or we can board our planes and look at the skies and say "Who did this?" The answer is men. If women could have they would have.

There might not technically be a "male brain," but the parts of it we associate with men are in evidence with old Wilbur and Orville: Obsession, logic, risk-taking, and good-old fashioned dreaming.

When you're done with this doc, check out the Wikipedia entry on old-time entertainer Bing Crosby and how he helped (get this) pioneer the idea of tape recording -- which led to Les Paul inventing the idea of multitrack recording.

I don't think you need to do studies on whether there's a male brain. You get your answer whenever you fly in a plane, listen to recorded music, drive a car, or use the refrigerator.

Wait, what am I talking about. You get your answer when you post responses on the Internet and are able to link YouTube videos. While women were running around screaming about Clarence Thomas and (later) the Duke rape hoax, these are the things men were doing. They should teach this stuff in school. Hahahaha.

Post: #5

One thing I learend playing Civilization 5:

"If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't."

Post: #6

(12-25-2015 10:16 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  I'm of the belief that the human brain is relatively similar in structure and function.

It's only with the added cocktail of hormones that we start seeing the differences in the sexes occur. Testosterone and estrogen are the ultimate factors in determining this.

Exactly. That cocktail starts at conception and continues until dried out menopause. That is why old hags are dumbfounded they see the world differently and stay puzzled until death.

Post: #7

I think this is interesting because it reinforces the idea that we're a product of both nature and nurture. From what I could tell from TMBs highlights was that the brain is essentially pretty similar to both men and women.

Also it kind of seems like this study is saying that gender actually is something that develops from factors eternal to the brain, but also that the "overlap" and complexity of the brain makes it difficult to find major differences (perhaps leading some to conclude that there are none).

It's stupid, in my opinion, to rely totally on either anecdotal evidence or empirical data. (That said, anecdotally, I hereby make the assumption that most liberals are more empirically minded, while conservatives will likely rely on what they like to call "common sense"). I think there's value to both, but the intelligent man will find a way to learn from both studies like this and the observable day-to-day.

Good post OP.