University of Cape Town

Department of Psychology

PSY2013F
Social and Developmental Psychology

Assignment Cover Page

[Tutorial Assignment D]

Full name: Tayba Javed

Student Number: JVDTAY001

Tutorial Group Number:

Tutor's Name: Nokwanda Mngxitam

Due Date2024

Due Date: 3 May 2024

Submission Date: 3 May 2024

Word count:
 Plagiarism Declaration
1. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and to pretend that it
is one’s own.

2. I have used the APA 7th Edition convention for citation and referencing. Each significant
contribution to, and quotation in, this assignment from the work or works of other people
has been acknowledged through citation and reference. Any section taken from an internet
source has been referenced to that source.

3. This assignment is my own work and is in my own words (except where I have attributed
it to others). I have not worked with or consulted any other person when writing this
assignment.

4. I have not allowed and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of
passing it off as their own work.

5. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment or essay, or part of it, is wrong,
and declare that this is my own work.

6. I confirm that I have not used any artificial intelligence (AI) programme to complete this
essay or part thereof (e.g., Chat GPT).
__________________________ _3/05/2024__________________

Signature Date

1)According to this article, the author mentions an E-S theory which suggests there are
differences in the male and female brain with each person having a particular brain type. It
states that females are predominantly empathetic and will pursue occupations that involve
social interactions and roles of nurturing. Conversely, the brain of a male is predominantly
more oriented towards comprehending and building systems, which may result in them
resorting to occupations requiring high systemizing abilities. They also perform better when
given tests on spatial reasoning showing an advantage in systems (Baron-Cohen, 2003). Some
studies conducted show empirical evidence such as hormonal influence that can affect
behavior and aligns with the E-S theory. It shows a clear framework to explain the observable
characteristics in gender specific interests. However, this theory implies there are cognitive
differences between genders which may shape preferences and abilities in academic fields. By
highlighting these distinctions in brain type, it potentially contributes to gender imbalances by
reinforcing stereotypes and expectations about the cognitive capabilities of these genders.
This will influence educational and career choices, contributing to the underrepresentation of
one gender over the other. I also feel that this theory has focused too much on biological
factors and may have not considered the impact of culture and the environment, and the
theory is oversimplified by attributing various activities to one’s brain type and gender
without considering other factors (Baron-Cohen, 2003).

2)This article shows extensive research done to end the concept that biological
differences between genders determine an individual’s cognitive skills and suggests that these
differences are more influenced by socio-cultural factors. The various studies in this article
found that both genders have an equal aptitude in Math and Science. Hyde suggests that it is
the early experiences during childhood, expectations in culture, and practices of socialization
that shape one’s academic performance. Spelke believed that career choices vary due to
pervasive cultural expectations and not by one’s abilities. A study by Spencer showed how
women performed bad on math’s tests when they were told gender differences existed as
compared to women who were told there is no differences. This shows how expectations and
stereotypes impacts individuals academically (American Psychological Association, 2014).
This article emphasizes that gender differences can end by addressing stereotypes and creating
environments that support one’s occupations. It emphasizes the need to educate individuals
that could end these biases instead of creating gender imbalances and by addressing this issue
it will benefit individuals by encouraging them and increasing their potential. This article has
made use of extensive data that comes from multiple studies with supporting evidence that
cognitive differences cannot be used to explain gender differences and the inclusion of studies
introduces a psychological dimension. the studies have showed how cultural expectations
could impact one’s performance, especially women working in a male dominated field. This
study has acknowledged the role of the environment and early experiences in childhood which
broadens the factors beyond just biological factors. However, I have noted that this article did
not provide much guidance on how to address these issues and more examples of
interventions could enhance these implications (American Psychological Association, 2014).

3)This article presented by Cimpian and Leslie have shown that academic fields have
their own perceptions of brilliance and emphasize the need for innate brilliance as a prerequisite
for success. This emphasis is referred to as the "field-specific ability belief where high fields like
philosophy are not diverse in culture and race and also award fewer doctoral degrees to women
and African Americans. they associate brilliance to white male which attributes to societal
stereotypes by discouraging the underrepresented groups. The expectation of brilliance can also
create psychological barriers for members that are " intellectually inferior ". Empirical evidence
was shown by the survey conducted which included 2000 professional institutions across 30
fields which showed what fields place emphasis on intelligence (Cimpian & Leslie, 2017).
Although this article presents a strong correlation on the emphasis of brilliance and decreased
diversity, it does acknowledge there’s a limitation in proving causation between brilliance and
racial imbalances. This article has overemphasized the trait of brilliance by not considering other
factors that influence who succeed in academic fields. Academic this article has effectively
shown how some academic fields contribute to gender imbalances and encourages one to look
beyond typical explanations such as discrimination. It also views imbalances from an innovative
perspective with more focus on psychological and sociological factors as compared to the
conventional reasons based on biological factors. It has highlighted the psychological and
sociocultural barriers that prevent women and the minority from succeeding in certain academic
fields and challenges these academic institutions to reconsider their values and beliefs which
contributes to gender imbalances (Cimpian & Leslie, 2017).

References
American Psychological Association. (2014). Think Again: Men and Women share cognitive skills.

Apa.org. https://www.apa.org/topics/neuropsychology/men-women-cognitive-skills

Baron-Cohen, S. (2003, April 17). They just can’t help it. The Guardian.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/apr/17/research.highereducation

Cimpian, A., & Leslie, S.-J. (2017). The Brilliance Trap. Scientific American, 317(3), 60–65.

https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0917-60