The Study of Sex Differences

2012 ◽  
Vol 220 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Behavior Genetics ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Sex ◽  
The Brain

The rise of research in behavior genetics, endocrinology, neurotransmitter systems, brain imaging, and evolutionary psychology bears witness to psychology’s increasingly biological stance. This approach has been fiercely opposed by some academic feminists. This paper examines and responds to three of their key objections: determinism (the brain as an evolved organ is unresponsive to its environment), politics (the demonstration of sex differences obstructs the goal of gender equality), and epistemology (notions of cause and effect should be replaced by the study of the social construction of gender). The second part of the paper suggests some areas of convergence between the interests of feminists and biologically minded researchers. These include the role of neuropeptides in modulating sex differences; male-female conflict at a genetic and behavioral level; the functions and social impact of peer group sex segregation; the evolution and contemporary effects of cultural transmission and the role of higher-order cognitive systems in modulating the expression of evolved emotional adaptations.

Service innovation as a social construction: The role of boundary objects

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Mele ◽  
Roberta Sebastiani ◽  
Daniela Corsaro
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Boundary Objects ◽  
Resource Integration ◽  
Shared Meanings ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Outcome Perspective

This article advances a conceptualization of service innovation as socially constructed through resource integration and sensemaking. By developing this view, the current study goes beyond an outcome perspective, to include the collective nature of service innovation and the role of the social context in affecting the service innovation process. Actors enact and perform service innovation through two approaches, one that is more concerted and another that emerges in some way. Each approach is characterized by distinct resource integration processes, in which the boundary objects (artifacts, discourses, and places) play specific roles. They act as bridge-makers that connect actors, thereby fostering resource integration and shared meanings.

scholarly journals Epigenetic mechanisms in sexual differentiation of the brain and behaviour

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1688) ◽  
pp. 20150114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy G. Forger
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Epigenetic Modifications ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
The Brain

Circumstantial evidence alone argues that the establishment and maintenance of sex differences in the brain depend on epigenetic modifications of chromatin structure. More direct evidence has recently been obtained from two types of studies: those manipulating a particular epigenetic mechanism, and those examining the genome-wide distribution of specific epigenetic marks. The manipulation of histone acetylation or DNA methylation disrupts the development of several neural sex differences in rodents. Taken together, however, the evidence suggests there is unlikely to be a simple formula for masculine or feminine development of the brain and behaviour; instead, underlying epigenetic mechanisms may vary by brain region or even by dependent variable within a region. Whole-genome studies related to sex differences in the brain have only very recently been reported, but suggest that males and females may use different combinations of epigenetic modifications to control gene expression, even in cases where gene expression does not differ between the sexes. Finally, recent findings are discussed that are likely to direct future studies on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in sexual differentiation of the brain and behaviour.

scholarly journals Sex Differences and the Influence of Sex Hormones on Cognition through Adulthood and the Aging Process

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Gurvich ◽  
Kate Hoy ◽  
Natalie Thomas ◽  
Jayashri Kulkarni
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Sex Hormones ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

Hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis that regulate reproductive function have multiple effects on the development, maintenance and function of the brain. Sex differences in cognitive functioning have been reported in both health and disease, which may be partly attributed to sex hormones. The aim of the current paper was to provide a theoretical review of how sex hormones influence cognitive functioning across the lifespan as well as provide an overview of the literature on sex differences and the role of sex hormones in cognitive decline, specifically in relation to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A summary of current hormone and sex-based interventions for enhancing cognitive functioning and/or reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease is also provided.

The role of elite education in social reproduction in France, Belgium and Chile: Towards an analytical model

2021 ◽  
pp. 144078332110517
Author(s):  
Marie Verhoeven ◽  
Hugues Draelants ◽  
Tomás Ilabaca Turri
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Education System ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Elite Education ◽  
Educational Pathways ◽  
The Social ◽  
Schooling System ◽  
Cognitive Dimensions

Using a societal analysis perspective that articulates structural, institutional and cognitive dimensions, this article outlines a model examining the contribution made by the schooling system to the social construction of elites. The model is put to the test by a comparative study of elitist educational pathways and their contrasting organisational modes in France, Belgium and Chile. The article shows that both the education of elites, and the role played by school in providing access to privileged social positions, continue to be marked by the distinctive historical construction of each society and education system, despite cross-cutting trends that are linked to globalisation.

11. Identities and US foreign policy

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Rowley ◽  
Jutta Weldes
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
State Identity ◽  
Social Construction Of Reality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Constructivist Approach ◽  
Critical Social

This chapter examines the role of identity in constructing U.S. foreign policy. Using a critical social constructivist approach, it argues that particular conceptions of U.S. identity constitute U.S. interests, thus providing the foundations for foreign policy. After providing an overview of the influence of interests on foreign policy, the chapter considers the basic assumptions of critical social constructivism, taking into account the social construction of reality and the concepts of discourse and articulation. It then analyses discourses as sites of power, identity, and representation, along with the importance of identity in U.S. foreign policy. It also looks at U.S. presidents’ articulations of state identity and foreign policy over the last six decades.

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