Cognitive Abilities

First of all, what is cognition? Cognition has to do with how a person understands the world and
acts in it. It is the set of mental abilities or processes that are part of nearly every human action
while we are awake.
Cognitive abilities are brain-based skills we need to carry out any task from the simplest to the
most complex. They have more to do with the mechanisms of how we learn, remember,
problem-solve, and pay attention, rather than with any actual knowledge. For instance, answering
the telephone involves perception (hearing the ring tone), decision taking (answering or not),
motor skill (lifting the receiver), language skills (talking and understanding language), social
skills (interpreting tone of voice and interacting properly with another human being).
Cognitive abilities or skills are supported by specific neuronal networks. For instance memory
skills rely mainly on parts of the temporal lobes and parts of the frontal lobes (behind the
forehead).
Verbal ability
Verbal abilities is the cognitive ability to use and understand language. The ability may be
thought of as having a number of components:
 Language proficiency
 Oral communication
 Verbal communication
 Verbal memory
 Verbal reasoning
 Writing skills
 Written communication

Verbal Sex Differences

It has frequently been stated that women attain a higher performance in a variety of verbal tests

(e.g., Burton, Henninger & Hafetz, 2005; Kolb & Whishaw, 2001; Mildner, 2008; Weiss et al.,

2003). In addition, they usually present faster language development (Berglund, Eriksson, &

Westerlund, 2005; Hoff, 2001; Fenson et al., 1994; Morley, 1957), have a broader vocabulary,

more accurate speech production, and greater fluency (Kolb & Whishaw, 2001; Mildner, 2008;

Pinker, 2007; Sommer, Aleman, Sommer, Boks & Kahn, 2004). Finally, an advantage in favor of

women has also been reported on word list learning tasks (Kramer, Delis & Daniel, 1988).

Memory Sex Differences

This study investigated gender differences on memory processing using event-related potentials
(ERPs). Behavioral data and ERPs were recorded in 16 males and 10 females during a
recognition memory task for faces. The behavioral data results showed that females performed
better than males. Gender differences on ERPs were evidenced over anterior locations and
involve the modulation of two spatially and temporally distinct components. These results are in
general accordance with the view that males and females differ in the cognitive strategies they
use to process information. Specifically, they could differ in their abilities to maintain
information over interference and in the processing of the intrinsic contextual attributes of items,
respectively, associated with the modulation of two anterior components. These interpretations
lend support to the view that processing in females entails more detailed elaboration of
information content than in males. Processing in males is more likely driven by schemas or
overall information theme.

Creativity or Problem Solving Sex Differences

Creativity is the process of generating solutions and products that are both original and
useful.There are specific thought and feeling processes involved in creativity. Divergent
thinking—a thought process that is an essential component of creativity —involves the ability to
generate a variety of solutions to a problem. Research indicates that divergent thinking is a
mental skill that is relatively separate from intelligence.Emotional components of creativity
include access to feeling thoughts and openness to feeling states.
Although creativity is often associated with artistic endeavors, it is a key component of all sorts
of problem solving behaviors. It is both reactive, in that it tackles existing problems and
obstacles, and proactive, in that it moves culture forward by generating new ideas and problems
to tackle. The creative process requires the integration of processes from both the right and left
hemispheres of the brain to create work that is both intuitive and logical
Research findings on creativity and gender have been somewhat equivocal, although generally,
few significant differences have been found between boys’ and girls’ creative abilities.9,10 One
area where gender does appear to play a role is in the way that children are affected by
evaluation of their creative products.10 In early adolescence, girls appear more negatively
affected when they know their creative work will be evaluated. Specifically, girls appear to lose
motivation and become less creative when they expect to be judged by an “expert.” It is not
altogether clear why girls are more affected than boys by outside evaluation of their creative
work, but it may be that girls at this age are more attuned to interpersonal communication and the
expectations of others. Some research suggests that girls in single-sex schools outperform girls in
co-educational schools on creative tasks, perhaps because girls in single-sex schools enjoy more
opportunities and support for creative thinking

Mathematical Abilities Differences

Gender differences in mathematical skills have aso been reported with some frequency (e.g.,
Benbow, Libinski, Shea, & Eftekhari-Sanjani, 2000; Benbow & Stanley, 1983; Rosselli, Ardila,
Matute & Inozemtseva, 2009). Results have shown few differences in average achievement in
mathematics according to gender in the fourth-to-eighth grade levels, but a substantial gender
variation in achievement in mathematics among students in the final year of high school (Mullis
et al., 2000). The largest differences have been found in gifted populations, where males
outperform females by approximately half a standard deviation (Benbow, 1988; Benbow &
Stanley, 1983). Usually, no gender differences in primary mathematical abilities (i.e., those
found in every culture) are reported, but gender disparities in secondary mathematical domains
(i.e., those that emerge primarily in the school environment), have been reported in many
different countries around the world (Klein, & Starkey, 1988; Mullis et al., 2000), with males
consistently outperforming females in such areas as solving mathematical word problems and
geometry (Geary, 1996).

Manual Dexterity (physical/ Psychomotor Skills)

Sex differences in physical prowess extend into the realm of psychomotor abilities. Psychomotor
abilities refer to skills that arise from brain–body coordination. These are generally classified
into two categories: gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

Gross motor skills refer to large movements using large muscle groups like running, stretching,
jumping and related secondary power components. The magnitude of differences in gross motor
skills are as large as sex differences in physique. For example, in terms of hand-grip strength,
95% of males produce more force than 90% of females, with 75% of untrained males producing
more force than 90% of heavily trained females.
Fine motor skills refer to small movements using small muscle groups like the manipulation of
objects and making quick, accurate movements. Psychologists Timothy Thorley and Michael
McDaniel reviewed sex differences in fine motor abilities that are most relevant in industrial,
medical and military domains. Their review looked at studies that involved some type of arm,
hand, leg, or foot movement, and in which real objects were being manipulated. The results of
their meta-analysis by category of skills:
 Speed of Limb Movement slightly favoured men (g=0.05)
 Wrist-Finger Speed strongly favoured men (g=0.63)
 Control Precision moderately favoured men (g=0.42)
 Aiming strongly favoured men (g=0.74)
 Steadiness moderately favoured women (g=0.48)
 Multi-Limb Co-ordination very strongly favoured men (g=1.23)
 Reaction Time moderately favoured men (g=0.30)
 Motor Co-ordination slightly favoured women (g=0.25)
 Finger Dexterity moderately favoured women (g=0.37)
 Manual Dexterity slightly favoured women (g=0.19)
 There are several studies investigating sex differences in visuo-motor tracking and hand-
eye coordination not included in the review. There is a large sex difference favouring
males in pursuit precision.[15] Large sex differences favouring males are commonly
reported on simulation trainers.[16] The male advantage in reaction time as well as in
temporal processing are highly correlated with their greater cognitive capacity.
 It should be noted that studying mental abilities in isolation underestimates their real
world impact. In real world settings, small measured effects may translate to very large
performance advantages, especially when compounded with other domain-specific
abilities and general mental ability. This is especially true for men because their brain is
organized for holistic ‘global’ processing.’ For example, temporal processing ability,
psychomotor ability and Dynamic Spatial Ability may manifest in the male advantage for
throwing and intercepting

However, across all four categories which favoured women, the female advantage may
be overestimated:
 1. All the measures that show a female advantage involve the manipulation of objects too
small for the average male hands. For example, the female advantage appears in
Pegboard tasks that use smaller pegs but disappears in the GATB-M and the Large Peg
measures. Indeed, it has been found that when finger size is taken into account, the
female advantage is nulled, or reversed. However, data from more complex tests of
dexterity where finger size does not confound, like the Kimura task, reveal a large male
advantage.
2. Age is an important variable which influences sex differences in some psychomotor
measures because girls mature several years earlier than boys do. This is seen in some
measures here, such as in Speed of Limb Movement and Motor Coordination, where the
measured female advantage may be reduced or reversed among adult samples.

Spatial Ablility

Spatial ability is the capacity to understand and remember the spatial relations among objects.
This ability can be viewed as a unique type of intelligence distinguishable from other forms of
intelligence, such as verbal ability, reasoning ability, and memory skills. Spatial ability is not a
monolithic and static trait, but made up of numerous subskills, which are interrelated among each
other and develop throughout your life.
The number of female college students has increased dramatically over the past 15 years; in this
same period, the average SAT scores for women have declined more than the scores for men.
This study summarizes recent evidence concerning the academic performance of women and
men by examining gender differences among: (1) all SAT takers; (2) test takers grouped by
anticipated major field of study; and (3) college freshman-year courses and grades. Consistent
with recent literature on gender differences in cognitive performance, this study concludes that
gender-related SAT differences are very small relative to the generally similar levels of
performance by men and women, and that using both test scores and high school records to
predict first-year college grades continues to work reasonably well for both sexes.

Leadership
As leadership expert Warren Bennis once stated, "leadership is the capacity to translate vision
into reality." Great leaders possess dazzling social intelligence, a zest for change, and above all, a
vision that allows them to set their sights on the things that truly merit attention. Not a bad skill
set for the rest of us, either.

It is the job of leaders to develop a vision establish what matters and articulate why set direction,
and inspire others. Recent research on the skills leaders need establishes the increasing
importance of inner resources of the psyche such as self-awareness and self-mastery.

Power related Types of Leadership/Types of Leadership

1. Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their teams. This style of
leadership is considered appropriate when decisions need to be made quickly,
when there's no need for input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for a
successful outcome.
2. Democratic leaders allow the team to provide input before making a decision,
although the degree of input can vary from leader to leader. This style is important
when team agreement matters, but it can be difficult to manage when there are lots
of different perspectives and ideas.
3. Laissez-faire leaders don't interfere; they allow people within the team to make
many of the decisions. This works well when the team is highly capable, is
motivated, and doesn't need close supervision. However, this behavior can arise
because the leader is lazy or distracted; and this is where this style of leadership
can fail.
Power Traits of Leadership
1. Cognitive capacities
 General intelligence
 Creative thinking capacities
2. Personality
 Extroversion
 Conscientiousness
 Emotional stability
 Openness
 Agreeableness
 MBTI preferences for extroversion, intuition, thinking, and judging
3. Motives and needs
 Need for power
 Need for achievement
 Motivation to lead
4. Social capacities
 Self-monitoring
 Social intelligence
 Emotional intelligence
5. Problem-solving skills
 Problem construction
 Solution generation
 Metacognition
6. Tacit knowledge

Helping and Caring Traits

Some of the traits most commonly associated with great leadership include the following.

1. Intelligence and Action-Oriented Judgment

Great leaders and smart and make choices that move the group forward.

2. Eagerness to Accept Responsibility

 Strong leaders take on responsibility and don't pass the blame on to others. They stand by
their success and take ownership of their mistakes.

3. Task Competence

A great leader is skilled and capable. Members of the group are able to look to the leader
for an example of how things should be done.

4. Understanding Followers and Their Needs

Effective leaders pay attention to group members and genuinely care about helping them
succeed. They want each person in the group to succeed and play a role in moving the entire
group forward.

5. People Skills

Excellent interpersonal skills are essential for leading effectively. Great leaders know
how to interact well with other leaders as well as with team members.

6. Need for Achievement

Strong leaders have a need to succeed and help the group achieve their goals. They
genuinely care about the success of the group and are committed to helping the group reach these
milestones.

7. Capacity to Motivate People

A great leader knows how to inspire others and motivate them to do their best.

8. Courage and Resolution

The best leaders are brave and committed to the goals of the group. They do not hide
from challenges.

9. Perseverance

Strong leaders stick with it, even when things get difficult or the group faces significant
obstacles.

10. Trustworthiness

Group members need to be able to depend upon and trust the person leading them.

11. Decisiveness

A great leader is capable of making a decision and is confident in his or her choices.
12. Self-Confidence

Many of the best leaders are extremely self-assured. Because they are confident in
themselves, followers often begin to share this self-belief.

13. Assertiveness

A great leader is able to be direct and assertive without coming off as overly pushy or
aggressive.

14. Adaptability and Flexibility

Effective leaders don't get stuck in a rut. They are able to think outside of the box and
adapt quickly to changing situations.

15. Emotional Stability

In addition to being dependable overall, strong leaders are able to control their
emotions and avoid overreactions.

16. Creativity

Perhaps most importantly, great leaders not only possess their own creativity, they are
also able to foster creativity among members of the group.