The Female Brain Relating to Chess (kinda)

Well that's certainly logical...

The only snippet I'd heard about this is something to do with men having more grey matter and women (quite a bit) more white matter.

In theory anyway, grey matter focuses in or is logical or something (lol I don't know about brains ok) and white matter is good at relating different topics, but doesn't focus on one topic well.

In IQ and standardized tests though, I thought it was said men and women tend excel at different things.  Of course here we go with that gender stuff again -- what bugs me is being male myself, that supposedly gives me what, a really small edge in visual-spacial intelligence when I'm averaged with 10,000 other males against 10,000 other females... but am I necessarily any better at math, taller, etc than a given female no...

I guess that's why this stuff tends to bug me, it seems like it's misleading to the individual who may tend to think because they're part of the male or female "club" that they as an individual have a small edge in such areas when those edges only show up when averaged out given large numbers of people.

That could easily be based on other factors though. If we gave out an IQ test in Canada and a similar one in Ethiopia I assume that the average Ethiopian would score lower (though maybe not considering how IQ tests shouldn't be based on knowledge, so maybe substitute a different type of test). That doesn't mean that Africans are biologically any less intelligent than North Americans.

Have there ever been any sources on the whole grey matter thing? I've heard it referenced as well.

Although I'm being silly because it could prove that the majority of Africans living in Africa are less knowledgeable than the majority of North Americans living in North America, which would be exactly what the test was designed for. Then again the knowledge tested would probably have to be different to accurately gauge different pools of knowlede.

Okay so that's a messy analogy, but I won't leave it out, because I think it's fitting, considering the mess this topic has associated with it.

Actually, do rural citizens of less developed countries tend to score lower on I.Q tests than citizens of other countries with more privileges (like an education, etc) theoretically they shouldn't right, since I.Q tests aren't designed to measure knowledge of any type. 

So yes. Hard evidence that the male and female brain are significantly different. Does it exist?

It doesn't matter; welcome to any given Sunday.

I.Q. test are notoriously culturally biased, so I'd expect they actually would.

Right, I was in the process of editing my post when you replied... or... writing a follow up.

No idea, like I said I don't know much about this stuff.

About the IQ test not testing knowledge... and supposedly not being able to increase or decrease your score (I know that's how their supposed to be) but I'd like to see a clinical IQ test and talk to a psychologist or IQ test author about that.  Any books out there on that subject?  I've never taken a real IQ test, but I've seen some example questions from real tests -- they didn't strike me as something someone wouldn't be able to prepare for or increase their ability in.

But seriously, if you have some info or know of a book on that stuff let me know.

Creating a perfect, bias-free test is like creating a perfect, blunder-free chess game.

Also regarding language -- a "feral" child who never learns language, who is then brought into society will (I'm guessing) be mentally retarded.  I heard the IQ test scores will relate to the density of your... some part of the brain (lol, again not a brain guy) but the feral child's brain will be fine, although without language will never give it the opportunity to develop a large amount of common knowledge and reasoning (I'm guessing).  I just have to doubt the tests are so accurate... but again I don't know much about it, so if you have any info :)

True that.

But alright the test itself isn't that important, it was just a (terribly executed) analogy for why testing female/male logical capacities and judging from that would be far from decisive.

I'd have to think so.

Yeah, I know I was getting off topic -- oh well.  Back to ms X and ms Y then.

Men are across the board better at math, science, and chess. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but even Judit Polgar's highest 2735 isn't quite world chamion level.

There is a difference between evidence and proof. Your previous implication that there is no evidence to suggest that men have more linear minds is simply wrong. Again, has it been proven? No. But there is certainly evidence (such as what I just gave you) that would suggest that this is true. And as far as I'm concerned, when you have good evidence to suggest something without much counter-evidence, you can claim it as fact.

54% of men like their toilet paper to roll under instead of over. Does that make me a woman?

do you suppose there's a correlation between over vs. under and front-to-back vs. back-to-front?

(The latter has a direct correlation with intelligence, by the way, and is immune to any cultural influence)

No there is evidence that the men who take the tests have been more able to perform the tasks than the women. That's not evidence that there is an inherent difference in their brains biologically.

And when you say that men are better across the board where are you speaking from? I'm not contradicting you, I've just never seen it sourced.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

LANDIS: Of course, Jackie O. was a great lady. Those are going

o be some tough shoes to fill. Everyone loved her. She had such...grace.

ELAINE (gushing): Yes! Grace!

LANDIS: Not many people have grace.

ELAINE: Well, you know, grace is a tough one. I like to think I have a little grace...not as much as Jackie -

LANDIS: You can't have "a little grace." You either have grace, or you...don't.

ELAINE: O.K., fine, I have...no grace.

LANDIS: And you can't acquire grace.

ELAINE: Well, I have no intention of "getting" grace.

LANDIS: Grace isn't something you can pick up at the market.

ELAINE (fed up): Alright, alright, look - I don't have grace, I don't want grace...I don't even say grace, O.K.?

LANDIS: Thank you for coming in.

ELAINE: Yeah, yeah, right.

a better test would be having both IQ and an EQ (emotion).

I thought that EQ was measured based purely on how you reacted to the results of your IQ test.