A Reanalysis of Gender Differences in IQ Scores Following Unilateral Brain Lesions

Meta-analyses of gender differences in the consequences of unilateral brain lesions have reported a positive correlation between the percentage of men in studies and the magnitude of the difference between Verbal and Performance IQ. Such findings are limited by both the indirectness of the methodology and the focus on V-P differences rather than on the separate effects of brain lesions on VIQ and PIQ. We conducted a repeated-measures analysis of studies that reported separate VIQ and PIQ means for men and women with unilateral lesions. Women showed lower IQ scores following lesions to the hemisphere thought to be nondominant for each function.