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What Explains Boys’ Stronger Confidence in their Intelligence?

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Abstract

This study investigated whether boys’ stronger confidence in their intelligence is explained by gender differences in measured intelligence and gender-stereotypical parental perceptions of their children’s intelligence. Verbal, numeric, figural, and reasoning intelligence and corresponding self-ratings were assessed for 496 German 11th and 12th graders (284 girls; age: M = 16.95). Parents also rated their children’s intelligence (339 parents; 205 mothers; age: M = 46.66). With and without controlling for intelligence, boys rated their numerical, figural, and reasoning abilities higher than girls. The same pattern appeared in parental intelligence perceptions. Boys even judged themselves as more intelligent controlling for both measured intelligence and parental intelligence estimates. Thus, neither intelligence nor gender-stereotypical parental perceptions totally explains boys’ stronger confidence in their intelligence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Hauptstraße 47-51, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany

    Ricarda Steinmayr & Birgit Spinath

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  1. Ricarda Steinmayr
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  2. Birgit Spinath
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Correspondence to Ricarda Steinmayr.

Appendix

Appendix

Original German version and English translation of the questionnaire used for parental and children’s intelligence estimates:

figure a
figure b

The questionnaire for parent judgments contained exactly the same items, but with different instructions. The German instructions and the English translation are presented in the following.

German instruction of parent questionnaire. Dieser Fragebogen enthält verschiedene Intelligenzaspekte. Zu jedem Aspekt finden Sie einen Satz, der zu verstehen gibt, welche Bereiche diese Intelligenzaspekte umfassen. Auf der Skala hinter jedem Satz bitten wir Sie, durch Ankreuzen einzuschätzen, für wie hoch Sie die Intelligenz Ihres Kindes in dem entsprechenden Bereich halten. Die Skala reicht von 1 (= sehr niedrige Ausprägung) bis 7 (= sehr hohe Ausprägung) (bitte betrachten Sie die Skala oben auf der Seite). Wenn Sie beispielsweise die Intelligenz Ihres Kindes in einem Bereich für durchschnittlich halten, kreuzen Sie bitte die 4 an. Ihre Aufgabe ist es, jene Ziffer anzukreuzen, die am Besten die Ausprägung der Intelligenz Ihres Kindes in jedem Bereich widerspiegelt.

English translation of parent questionnaire’s intstructions. This questionnaire describes different aspects of intelligence. You will find a description that explains what is exactly meant by each specific intelligence. We ask you to rate, using the scale on the right side of the description, how high you estimate the specific intelligence aspect of your child. The scale ranges from 1 (= very low score) to 7 (= very high score) (please check the scale at the top of the page). For example, if you consider your child to be average in a specific intelligence, please mark 4. Your task is it to mark the number that best represents the score of your child’s intelligence in that area.

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Steinmayr, R., Spinath, B. What Explains Boys’ Stronger Confidence in their Intelligence?. Sex Roles 61, 736–749 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9675-8

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