Gender Gap in Monkey Cognition Closes with Training, Age

Sex differences in cognitive abilities have been at the center of heated debate lately, following the now infamous comments made by Harvard president Lawrence H. Summers. New findings may fan the flames. Research on a fellow primate, the rhesus monkey, reveals a gender gap in spatial cognition, but one that it is easily overcome with training. In addition, the results indicate that males may be more susceptible than females to age-related cognitive decline.