According to Maccoby and Jacklin, the statement 'Males are better than females at mathematical calculations' is:

According to Maccoby and Jacklin, the statement 'Males are better than females at mathematical calculations' is:

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Inconclusive
• D. Depends on age

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that gender does not determine mathematical calculation ability. Maccoby and Jacklin reviewed a broad range of studies and found no reliable, consistent advantage for males in basic mathematical calculation. When small differences did appear, they were inconsistent across studies and largely attributable to factors other than biology—such as differences in opportunity, encouragement, practice, test format, and stereotype effects. In many analyses, girls performed as well as boys, or even slightly better on certain math tasks, while differences in more complex, high-level math were small and highly context-dependent. Because the evidence does not support a clear male superiority in math calculation, the statement is not supported by their findings.

The main idea is that gender does not determine mathematical calculation ability. Maccoby and Jacklin reviewed a broad range of studies and found no reliable, consistent advantage for males in basic mathematical calculation. When small differences did appear, they were inconsistent across studies and largely attributable to factors other than biology—such as differences in opportunity, encouragement, practice, test format, and stereotype effects. In many analyses, girls performed as well as boys, or even slightly better on certain math tasks, while differences in more complex, high-level math were small and highly context-dependent. Because the evidence does not support a clear male superiority in math calculation, the statement is not supported by their findings.