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Perspectives on Psychological Science 2
Perspectives on Psychological
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The Nature−Nurture Debates: 25 Years of Challenges in Understanding the Psychology of Gender
Alice H. Eagly and Wendy Wood
Perspectives on Psychological Science 2013 8: 340
DOI: 10.1177/1745691613484767 The online version of this article can be found at: http://pps.sagepub.com/content/8/3/340 http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of:

Association For Psychological Science

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484767research-article2013 PPSXXX10.1177/1745691613484767Eagly, WoodThe Nature–Nurture Debates: 25 Years of Challenges
Perspectives on Psychological Science
The Nature–Nurture Debates: 25 Years 8(3) 340 –357
© The Author(s) 2013
Reprints and permissions: of Challenges in Understanding the sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1745691613484767
Psychology of Gender pps.sagepub.com

Alice H. Eagly1 and Wendy Wood2
1Northwestern University and 2University of Southern California
Abstract
Nature–nurture debates continue to be highly contentious in the psychology of gender despite the common recognition that both types of causal explanations are important. In this article, we provide a historical analysis of the vicissitudes of nature and nurture explanations of sex differences and similarities during the quarter century since the founding of the Association for Psychological Science. We consider how the increasing use of meta-analysis helped to clarify sex difference findings if not the causal explanations for these effects. To illustrate these developments, this article describes socialization and preferences for mates as two important areas of gender research. We also highlight


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