User:Eoconnell36/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article: Sex differences in psychology

• Name of article: Sex differences in psychology
• Both sex and gender are complex concepts within psychology that can alter our perceptions, affect our behavior, and change the way we live our lives as human beings. As an individual who is dedicated to the sociocultural liberation of gender diverse folks, I am interested in disseminating the idea that gender is a spectrum rather than a dichotomy. I have chosen to evaluate this article so that this topic within psychology can be represented in a way that accounts for the rich and ongoing diversity of gender identity.

Lead Evaluation

An immediate strength of the article is that the lead includes an introductory statement that concisely describes the topic. The Lead also includes a statement regarding the nature of modern research on the topic, which is thorough yet concise. It may also be useful to include a statement regarding the direction of any future research so that the article is forward-thinking. An additional strength of the Lead is that it does not include any information that is not present within the article, which creates cohesion and clarity. A specific critique would be that the word "since" typically should not replace the word "because." Further, claiming that behavioral research is guided by theories of nature and nurture may be biased, as many researchers tend to emphasize one concept over the other.

Content Evaluation

A strength of the content is that it is all relevant to the topic. While the content is relevant, many sections may need to be updated to reflect research that has been added to the field within the past 5-10 years. Concepts such as Social Learning Theory and Social Role theory are certainly still relevant to the topic of socialization and culture, however neuroscience research and neuroimaging data are ever-changing. To create more accessibility of information, the "Possible causes" section may benefit from additional elaborations of specific theories so they are not clustered within the description of each "Psychological trait." Further, the article does not address topics related to historically underrepresented populations. A way to do this may be to parse the difference between sex and gender in order to explain that "male" and "female" are not the only gender identities.

Tone and Balance Evaluation

The ideas presented within the article are neutral in tone. The dichotomy of gender is overrepresented, however, which may be addressed by including sub-sections within the "Culture" section that explain the multifaceted nature of gender identity, and a disclaimer that the research presented is through a cis-gender and heterosexual lens. A strength of the article is that the tone is not persuasive or rooted in opinions.

Sources and References Evaluation

The facts in the article are backed up by empirical research, which is a valuable strength. Additionally, the links seem to work without technological issues. A critique of the sources would be that they are dated from approximately 1980-2010, meaning that they cannot reflect the current and available literature on the topic. The sources in the article call for some intersectionality as well because much of the cited research is based on a White and Western framework. Adding some perspectives that include socioeconomic status, different nationalities, intersecting ethnicities, and gender identity (not simply sex assigned at birth), would be more representative of the general population. Psychology is not bound to a specific perspective.

Organization Evaluation

In general, the article is well-written and easy to read with little grammatical issues. The author may consider editing "Psychological traits" to "Psychological components," as the term "trait" is often associated with personality and not with constructs such as emotion or intelligence.

Images and Media Evaluation

The author may consider adding images or other media to help the reader better understand the topic.

Checking the talk page

The Talk page is primarily debating the relevance of certain topics, such as the case of David Reimer. The article is a part of the Psychology WikiProject, and it is categorized as an article that needs attention. Wikipedia discusses this article quite different compared to the way we do at Palo Alto University, because sex differences are usually only discussed to fuel a conversation about culture, social justice, and mental health disparities.

Overall impressions

The status of the article states that "This article relies too much on references to primary sources." Thus, the article can be improved by using sources to back up facts and contribute to the flow of information, rather than being the bulk of the writing. Otherwise, the article is cohesive and easy to understand. The article's strengths include a concise presentation of information, a neutral tone, and thoroughness of information. The article is well-developed, although many sources should be updated to reflect current research, and a multicultural lens should be applied to ensure that the information is representative of gender complexities and intersecting identities.

Overall evaluation

With some re-vamping of organization and inclusion of diversity/multiple perspectives, the article could be a valuable resource for those interested in sex differences within psychology.