Sex, Brains and Mice: Biological Influences on Cognitive Abilities
dnorris10 February 21st, 2006
Amy Jo Stavnezer, assistant professor of psychology at The College of Wooster, will address some of the intellectual differences between males and females when she presents “Sex, Brains and Mice: Biological Influences on Cognitive Abilities” at the first Faculty at Large lecture of the spring semester on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 11 a.m. in Room 009 of Severance (Chemistry) Hall (943 College Mall). Admission is free and open to the public.
An animal researcher, Stavnezer will discuss the biological basis of several cognitive sex differences, including the assertion that, on average, human males have better visual-spatial representations of the environment and can more accurately mentally rotate three-dimensional objects, while females have better verbal fluency and better recall for objects in a spatial configuration. These differences have long been attributed mainly to the influence of testosterone during prenatal and pubertal development. “Decades of research have indicated that having a certain level of testosterone during critical periods results in ‘male-typical’ behavior and physiology,” said Stavnezer. “Recent research, however, indicates that the Y chromosome also influences behavior and physiology in mice.”
Stavnezer has found that animals with a Y chromosome, even when testosterone levels were low, performed better on visual-spatial tasks. “This indicates that the research where sex chromosome status was overlooked and only hormone levels were manipulated may have been missing a piece of the puzzle,” she said. “Males and females generally differ in testosterone levels, but they also differ in their sex chromosome complement. As geneticists locate more functional genetic sequences on the Y chromosome, this sex chromosome difference may prove to be rather important in directing sex differences in behavior and physiology. If, in fact, the Y chromosome and testosterone are both able to impart ‘male-typical’ visual-spatial ability, the evolutionary importance of this skill may be reinforced.”
Stavnezer, who joined the faculty at Wooster in 2003, has been working with sex differences - though not always with an emphasis on the Y chromosome - since she began graduate school. Her interest in rodent research dates back to her undergraduate days at Allegheny College where she took a course in physiology and behavior as a sophomore. Her undergraduate senior thesis focused on the effects of pre- and post-natal lead exposure on the ability to delay lever-press responding in rats. After receiving her B.S. from Allegheny College (1994), Stavnezer earned her M.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2000) from the University of Connecticut. Her published research includes “Integration of computer technology into an introductory level neuroscience laboratory,” in Teaching of Psychology and “Spatial ability of XY sex-reversed female mice,” in Behavioral Brain Research. A member of the Society for Neuroscience and several other professional organizations, Stavnezer taught at Skidmore College before coming to Wooster.