Brain Gender [Hardcover]

Melissa Hines (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195084101 | ISBN-13: 978-0195084108 | Publication Date: October 30, 2003

Do biological factors, such as gonadal hormones, determine our sexual destiny after our genes are in place? Do they make men aggressive, or women nurturing? Do they cause boys and girls to play differently or to have different interests? Do they explain differences in sexual orientation within each sex group? Do they contribute to the preponderance of men in science or women at home? Scientists working from a psychosocial perspective would answer these questions differently than those working from a behavioral neuroscience or neuroendocrinological perspective. This book brings both of these perspectives to bear on the questions, tracing the factors that influence the brain, beginning with testosterone and other hormones during prenatal life, and continuing through changing life situations and experiences that can sculpt the brain and its activity, even in adulthood. This influence has important implications for understanding the social roles of men and women in society, the different educational and emotional issues that confront males and females, the legal rights of those whose sexual orientation or gender identity do not correspond to norms, and even standards of clinical care for people born with physical intersex conditions that make it difficult to classify a person as male or female at birth. This original and accessible book will be of interest to psychologists, neuroscientists, pediatricians, and educators, as well as the general public. It is also suitable for use in graduate and undergraduate courses on the psychology of gender or on hormones and behavior.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . one of the most complete, balanced, and readable accounts yet to appear on this topic . . . Brain Gender can now be considered the leading reference book on sex differences in the brain . . . At every point, Hines brings sophistication to the discussion . . . this is the text I would recommend first to anyone wanting to learn more about this highly important area--which should be every neuroscientist." --Archives of Neurology

"This is a remarkable book, a wonderful resource that belongs on one's bookshelf for frequent reference to the many times gender, sex, and brain questions come to mind. ...The author has done an excellent job of getting us to think about some of the most fundamental questions in the science of reproduction." --The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

"The time is ripe for a clear-headed, critical look at the evidence and Melissa Hines has provided this with her very accessible, clearly written account . . . Hines does an admirable job . . ." --Sir Michael Rutter in The Times Higher Educational Supplement

". . . The book has many pluses. It is clearly written, preserving important and nuanced research findings in a style that can be appreciated by both the established investigator and lay person . . . This timely piece of work cuts through the well-described 'cognitive schemas' of many researchers and theorists in the fields of sex and gender differences and brings these areas of inquiry up to more modern realities..." --JAMA

About the Author

Melissa Hines, Professor of Psychology and Director, Behavioural Neuroendocrinology Research Unit, City University, London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195084101
• ISBN-13: 978-0195084108
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very well written, May 7, 2007

By 

April M. Ferreira - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brain Gender (Paperback)

Without disregarding social influences, this book thoroughly examines various biological perspectives on gender roles, sexual identity, and sexual orientation. The author has clearly done extensive research on the various studies concerning the relationship between hormones, development, gender, and behavior in both animals and humans, while critically examining the validity and usefulness of each study's results.

Obviously, the more you already know about the brain, the easier it is to understand, but for the most part this book is an accessible read for the average adult.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review of gender determination and the differences between males and females., September 27, 2009

By 

Michael Wildes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brain Gender (Paperback)

In Brain Gender, Melissa Hines presents a succinct, detailed, and well-supported examination of the current understanding on what makes humans male or female. The following review will provide a synopsis along with a critique of specific parts and aspects of the book.

Overall, the book would be a very useful tool for anyone interested in the science behind the concept of gender. While the author's writing style is not always the most engaging to a layperson, she succeeds in explaining very complicated topics with enough background to inform even someone with little science knowledge and enough detail to still challenge a reader with familiarity of the field. The best aspect of the author's writing style is her ability to present multiple sides of an argument on a given issue. She is very willing to draw conclusions from the research she presents but still leaves subjects open for discussion and debate.

The book is laid out in a very reader friendly format. It is divided into 11 chapters, each discussing a different aspect of sex differences. Chapters are subdivided by headings, which makes the text easy to scan by a reader looking for specific information. The following will provide a brief synopsis and review on each chapter.

I. SEX DIFFERENCES IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR:
This section is an introduction to the volume. The most significant statement that Hines makes in this chapter is that,

"the sex difference in height among men and women...is more than twice as large as the sex differences in many psychological traits"

This statement and following discussion does a tremendous job of setting up the tone for the rest of the book - that beyond physical characteristics and gender identity, males and females are not that different.

II. IS IT A GIRL OR IS IT A BOY?
Here the author discusses a variety of gender development disorders along with the biological background of sexual differentiation and development. The graphics in this section may be difficult for some readers to view because they depict abnormalities in the human genitals. However, these pictures are essential for the reader to understand what Hines is describing when discussing disorders of sexual development.

III. THE SEXUAL ANIMAL:
IV. SEX AND THE ANIMAL BRAIN:
Both sections III and IV concentrate on the biology behind sexual behavior and cover such topics as the role of hormones, anatomical/physiological differences between males and females, and differences between species.

V. GONADAL HORMONES AND HUMAN SEXUALITY:
Here Hines provides some of the most interesting knowledge in the book on human sexuality and gender. The overall theme of the chapter can be summarized by the following quote:

"it is helpful to know that human sexuality is not unidimensional. Instead, it is made up of several facets, each of which might relate to gonadal steroids, perhaps in different ways."

VI. SEX AND PLAY:
In this chapter, the differences in how boys and girls play is discussed. This chapter is important because childhood play can be a useful tool for studying influences of other factors, such as hormones, on typical gender-specific behavior.

VII. ANDROGEN AND AGRESSION:
This chapter focuses on the difference in aggression levels between men and women, which is a strong sex difference but also one of many misconceptions.

VIII. HORMONES AND PARENTING:
Here Hines discusses difference between males and females in their ability to parent and the common conception that women make better parents. She concludes that biological influence is negligible compared to social influences.

IX. ANDROGEN ESTROGEN AND COGNITION:
This chapter addresses the difference in male and female cognitive ability - a very controversial and misunderstood issue. The conclusion is essentially that no difference exists. However, Hines' discussion of the social implications is very engaging and insightful.

X. SEX AND THE HUMAN BRAIN:
A review is presented on the physical differences between the female and male brain. The discussion is very detailed and presents an abundance of empirical data.

XI. ENGENDERING THE BRAIN:
The final chapter concludes with a discussion of scientifically differentiating between environmental and physical influences on human gender, which can be summarized by the author's statement:

"No matter whether hormones or other factors, including social factors, cause us to develop in a certain way, the hormonal or social influences have been translated into physical brain characteristics...thus, the distinction between biological and social/cultural causes is false."


Throughout the entire text, the author sporadically uses images and tables. Most of the images are utilized to explain the anatomy of genitalia or parts of the nervous system. Occasionally tables and graphs are used to explain experimental findings. While most of the images add to the overall reading experience, some images included seem pointless and add little to understanding the concepts presented. The book would definitely be improved if more tables and figures were used to explain experimental results because often the statistics of studies seem to get lost in the body of the text, which does not do justice to their significance.

One of the most valuable aspects of the book is the extensive glossary of terms related to the study of gender and neuroscience. This section greatly improves the accessibility of the book for layman readers. This section prevents readers from needing to search through previous sections for definitions or explanations that may have been forgotten through the reading of the volume.

TO FUTURE READERS:

Buy this book if you have any interest in learning about the science behind matters such as gender identity and homosexuality. You will not be disappointed in the wealth of information you will receive.

If you are researching a specific aspect of gender development/differentiation this book is a great place to start. The book contains 44 pages full of citations that can guide you to more extensive research on the topics covered.

If you are unfamiliar with the subject area, I would not recommend skipping between sections, as the author tends to build off of previously discussed subjects.

IN SHORT: Great topic, great writing, and a great steeping stone for further research on the topic!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very scientific., October 21, 2010

By 

Christine Lo "clo is so cool" (Alhambra, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brain Gender (Paperback)

As big of a fan I am about evolutionary psychology, especially looking at the sex/gender differences between men and women, I was not so thrilled by this book since it provided such information in much more of a formal and scientific manner. It's not much of an easy read, mainly because of such heavy scientific content presented to such particular individuals who are not very much into the sciences. Despite all things considered, it's very well-written, quite interesting, and very similar to many things I've read on JSTOR.