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Gender Differences in Verbal Ability: A Meta-Analysis

DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.104.1.53
Authors:
Janet Hyde at University of Wisconsin–Madison
Janet Hyde
Marcia C Linn at University of California, Berkeley
Marcia C Linn
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Abstract

Located 165 studies that reported data on gender differences in verbal ability. The weighted mean effect size was +0.11, indicating a slight female superiority in performance. The difference is so small that we argue that gender differences in verbal ability no longer exist. Analysis of tests requiring different cognitive processes involved in verbal ability yielded no evidence of substantial gender differences in any aspect of processing. Similarly, an analysis of age indicated no striking changes in the magnitude of gender differences at different ages, countering Maccoby and Jacklin's (1974) conclusion that gender differences in verbal ability emerge around age 11 yrs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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