Describe how similar or different the boys and girls in your classroom are likely to be, on average, in each of the following areas:

Question

a. Physical and motor skills
b. Scholastic abilities
c. Sense of self

Answer 1

Answers to the separate parts of the question are as follows:
a. The response should include at least two of the following points:
• In general, the potential for physical and motor growth is similar for boys and girls until adolescence.
• Girls have a slight advantage in fine motor skills
• Boys are more physically active than girls.
• Boys develop their physical and motor skills more (e.g., through participation in large-group games and organized sports).
• After puberty, boys have the advantage in skills requiring height or strength.
b. Boys and girls tend to be similar in IQ scores and school achievement (as measured by standardized tests; girls tend to get higher class grades). Small differences sometimes exist for language-based tasks (girls have the advantage) and visual-spatial skills (boys have the advantage). Also, small differences appear in certain aspects of mathematics (e.g., problem solving).