Exaggerated Gender Differences? Malleablility of Gender Identity with Video Games

Abstract

According to Baron-Cohen (2003), three brain types exist (Types E, S, & B), caused by biological differences in the brains of females and males. Contrary to Baron-Cohen’s hypothesis, the similarities hypothesis proposes that differences are a consequence of social construction. To examine these competing hypotheses, this study measured the effect of assigning different identities in the form of a video game avatar (woman, man, and genderless) to men and women participants on measures of empathizing with brain type E, systemizing with brain type S, and balanced brain Type B (equivalent parts E & S). My participants were 124 undergraduate students from Emporia State University with 68 women and 56 men. I predicted participants would adopt the gender of the avatar by interacting with (video) and choosing items (survey) pertaining to empathizing or systemizing. Overall, the results supported my hypotheses and participants adopted the gendered behavior of the avatar regardless of their own. When participants’ gender matched the avatar’s gender, participants’ results coincided with what Baron-Cohen’s hypothesis. However, when participants’ gender and the avatar’s gender were miss-matched, results supported the similarities hypothesis and providing strong evidence that social construction plays a strong role in gendered behavioral differences.