Abstract
The present study explored whether there were relationships among gender nonconformity, intelligence, and sexual orientation.
A total of 106 heterosexual men, 115 heterosexual women, and 103 gay men completed measures of demographic variables, recalled
childhood gender nonconformity (CGN), and the National Adult Reading Test (NART). NART error scores were used to estimate
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) and Verbal IQ (VIQ) scores. Gay men had significantly fewer
NART errors than heterosexual men and women (controlling for years of education). In heterosexual men, correlational analysis
revealed significant associations between CGN, NART, and FSIQ scores (elevated boyhood femininity correlated with higher IQ
scores). In heterosexual women, the direction of the correlations between CGN and all IQ scores was reversed (elevated girlhood
femininity correlating with lower IQ scores). There were no significant correlations among these variables in gay men. These
data may indicate a “sexuality-specific” effect on general cognitive ability but with limitations. They also support growing
evidence that quantitative measures of sex-atypicality are useful in the study of trait sexual orientation.
A total of 106 heterosexual men, 115 heterosexual women, and 103 gay men completed measures of demographic variables, recalled
childhood gender nonconformity (CGN), and the National Adult Reading Test (NART). NART error scores were used to estimate
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) and Verbal IQ (VIQ) scores. Gay men had significantly fewer
NART errors than heterosexual men and women (controlling for years of education). In heterosexual men, correlational analysis
revealed significant associations between CGN, NART, and FSIQ scores (elevated boyhood femininity correlated with higher IQ
scores). In heterosexual women, the direction of the correlations between CGN and all IQ scores was reversed (elevated girlhood
femininity correlating with lower IQ scores). There were no significant correlations among these variables in gay men. These
data may indicate a “sexuality-specific” effect on general cognitive ability but with limitations. They also support growing
evidence that quantitative measures of sex-atypicality are useful in the study of trait sexual orientation.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-8
- DOI 10.1007/s10508-011-9737-1
- Authors
- Qazi Rahman, Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS UK
- Suraj Bhanot, Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS UK
- Hanna Emrith-Small, Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS UK
- Shilan Ghafoor, Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS UK
- Steven Roberts, Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS UK
- Journal Archives of Sexual Behavior
- Online ISSN 1573-2800
- Print ISSN 0004-0002