Over at PLoS, I've just posted an interview with Cordelia Fine, who long-time Neuroskeptic readers will remember for her book Delusions of Gender that I reviewed back in 2010. Here's the interview: How Psychology and Neuroscience Get Sex and Gender Wrong: Neuroskeptic Goes In-Depth with Cordelia Fine.
An excerpt:
Does academic research on sex and gender itself affect the way that men and women behave and think, by changing public attitudes? Thinking in a ‘gender essentialist’ way has been linked with a number of negative psychological consequences, including greater endorsement of gender stereotypes both in relation to self and others, stereotype threat effects, greater acceptance of sexism, and increased tolerance for the status quo. It’s a plausible hypothesis that the conclusions of scientific research will influence cultural beliefs about the sexes. (In fact, faux scientific articles are commonly used in laboratory psychology experiments as a way to temporarily modify these beliefs.)
This is my third interview as Contributing Editor over at the PLoS Neuro Community (neuro.plos.org). Previously I talked to Srivas Chennu and Michael Corballis. If you have any suggestions, requests or ideas for future interviews, please let me know in the comments (either here or over there)! Remember, I'm still blogging here as normal.
