Sex vs. gender and the brain
Most studies of brain differences between men and women obviously separate groups by sex–that is, biological male- or femaleness. However, some research is beginning to identify neural differences that correlate as well or better with gender–one’s self-perceived masculinity or feminity, which varies along a continuum and is likely more influenced by learning and experience than biological sex. I discussed this distinction in regard to research on social perception in a recent blog at Scientific American online (Mind Matters).
