Features of sexual dimorphism in cognitive abilities and structures of interests in teenagers with high level of intelligence

We present the results of the study of age dynamics factors of the intellectual abilities of cognitively gifted adolescents, namely manifestations of sexual dimorphism in their intellectual sphere and interests. We described an empirical testing of the hypothesis of the specifics of sexual dimorphism of intellectual abilities of adolescents with a high IQ. The study involved 249 adolescents (St. Petersburg), aged 14-17 years, including 132 adolescent high IQ - 81 girl and 51 boy, 117 adolescents with an average IQ - 66 girls and 51 boy. Intellectual performance (11 faculties - spatial, verbal, math, memory) are measured by the Universal intelligence test, the interests – with a biographical questionnaire. Mathematical processing of data was performed using SPSS Statistics 20. The study showed sexual dimorphism abilities manifested in adolescents with high IQ: girls outperform boys in verbal (p = 0.001), spatial (p = 0.05), mnemonic abilities (p = 0.001) and in general, IQ (r = 0.05); boys outperform girls in mathematical abilities (p = 0.001). No differences were found in adolescents with average IQ. Differences in IQ scores of boys and girls with high IQ were similar to the structure of the differences in their interests. We suggested an especially "sensitive" development abilities of teenagers with a high IQ to the structure of interest.

1. Aleksandrov A.A. Psikhogenetika: Uchebnoeposobie [The psychogenetics: The school-book]. Saint-Petersburg: Publ. Piter, 2004. 192 p.
2. Baturin N.A., Kurganskii N.A. Universal'nyiintellektual'nyi test (UIT SPCh-M) [The universal test of intelligence (UIT SPCh-M)]: Rukovodstvo.Saint-Petersburg–Chelyabinsk: Publ. Chelyabinskiydom pechati,2003. 56 p.
3. Il'in E.P. Motivatsiya i motivy [Motivation and motives]. Saint-Petersburg: Publ.  «Piter», 2000. 512 p.
4. KrylovA.A. (eds.) Intellektual'nyipotentsialcheloveka: problem razvitiya [The intellectual potential of people: the problems of development]. Saint-Petersburg: Publ. S.-Peterb. Un-ta, 2003. P. 200 p.
5. Polunina A.G., Bryun E.A. Intellekt i bioelektricheskayaaktivnost' golovnogomozga u detei: vozrastnayadinamika v norme i pri syndrome defitsitavnimaniya s giperaktivnost'yu [The Intelligence and bioelectrical activity of the children’s brain: age dynamics of normal development and attention deficit disorder with a hyperactivity]. Russkiizhurnal [Russianmagazine],  2010, T. 5.  no. 3,pp.3–16
6. Saulina E.B. Sotsial'nayasituatsiyarazvitiyaintellektual'noodarennykhpodrostkovSankt-Peterburga.Materialyregional'noinauchno-prakticheskoikonferentsii [The social situation ofdevelopment of intellectuallygifted adolescents in St. Petersburg]. Odarennyedeti: problemy, perspektivy, razvitie [Gifted children: problems, prospects, development]. Saint-Petersburg: Publ. SPbAPPO, 2009, 379–381pp.
7. Sudakov K.V. Sistemnyeosnovyintellekta [Elektronnyiresurs] [The system bases of intelligence].Institutprikladnoimatematikiim. M.V. KeldyshaRossiiskoiakademiinauk [Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics Russian Academy of Sciences], 2000.Available at : www.keldysh.ru/pages/BioCyber/ RT/PapInf/Sudakov.htm. (Accessed: 25.05. 2014).
8. Tunik E.E. Test intellekta R. Amtkhauera: analiz i interpretatsiyadannykh [The Amthauer's Intelligence Structure Test (IST): analysis and interpretation of data]. Saint-Petersburg: Publ. Rech', 2009. 94 p.
9. Kheller K.A., Perlet K., Sierval'd V. Longityudnoeissledovanieodarennosti [The longitudinal study of giftedness].Voprosypsikhologii[Questionsofpsychology], 1991,no. 2, 120–127pp.
10. Chipman S.F., Thomas V.G. The participation of women and minorities in mathematical, scientific and technical fields. In Rothkopf E.Z. (ed.)Review of research in education. Washington: American Educational Research Association, 1987. Vol. 14,pp. 387–429.
11. Freeman J. Environment and high IQ—A consideration of fluid and crystallized intelligence.Personality and Individual Differences, 1983, Vol. 4,no. 3, pp. 307–313.
12. Grossi D. et al. Sex differences in children's spatial and verbal memory span.Cortex, 1979. Vol. 15,no. 4,pp. 667–670.
13. Johnson S. Early-developed sex differences in science and mathematics in the United Kingdom. J. of Early Adolescence, 1987, no. 7,pp. 21–34.
14. Lubinski D., Benbow C.P. The study of mathematically precocious youth: the first three decades of a planned 50-year study of intellectual talent. In Subotnik R. F., Arnold K. D. (eds.) Beyond Terman: contemporary longitudinal studies of giftedness and talent. Norwood, NJ: Ablex. 1994, pp. 255–281.
15. Maccoby E.E. and Jacklin C.N. The Psychology of Sex Differences. Stanford:Stanford Univesity Press, 1974. 634p.
16. Neisser U. et al. Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns. American psychologist, 1996. Vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 77–101.