Do Men and Women Think Differently in Chess?

[Astrophysics]

Some of you who might know me a bit, might know that I like chess a lot and now and then read something about the latest events in the chessworld.

While I was playing chess last night I suddenly wondered if females have another way of logical thinking than males. Because in the chessworld men are usually stronger at chess than females, I thought it might have to do with the way females think, organize and what they think is more logical.
It might also be that females are less strong opponents than the males (the difference isn't that big), because there are less women in the chessworld.
But then again I started thinking more about this logical thinking and I remembered that females are usually better at mathematics than the male.
It all might just be coinsidence, but the again maybe not.


What do you think?



p.s. I think this post actually belongs in a psychological forum, but I haven't seen any.

 

[selfAdjoint]

I believe there is research that shows women use their brains differently from men. When women and men are put on an MRI machine and asked to solve the same problems, the women's brains lit up all over, but the mens' lit up in a few definite areas.

Conjecture:(women particpants please critique): for women a problem is not sharply separated from its background but has a penumbra of related and less related things with it. For men, it is possible to hone in on just the problem at hand and not be at all distracted by side issues. Wrong? Right? Let's get some testimony instead of one sided opinions.

 

[Astrophysics]

I asked one of my (female) friends if this is true and she said that in her experience this is indeed true. I know one person isn't enough so maybe others could give theire opinion on this.

 

[Turtle]

Astrophysics, there is an article in the August issue of Pyschology Today on this subject.

 

[Astrophysics]

oh thanks turtle, do you also have a link to this article? (or isn't the article available on the web?)

 

[Turtle]

Not sure, but you can find out at www.psychologytoday.com the article is called The New Sex Scorecard.

 

[Astrophysics]

I couldn't find anything about this article on theire site turtle.
Could you please tell me what the article said?

 

[iansmith]

Atrophysics, I found the article here a link
http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/prod/ptoarticle/pto-20030624-000003.asp