Subject: Re: Perception, was: Chestnut-collared Longspur
Date: Dec 5 14:51:53 1995
From: Alvaro Jaramillo - alvaro at quake.net


>On Tue, 5 Dec 1995, Alvaro Jaramillo wrote:
>
>> Given that there are biological differences between the sexes as far as
> ^^^^^^^^^^
>> colour perception is concerned, the records committees should give more
>> weight to reports done by women, perhaps. Its just a thought ;-)
>
>Why biological? i can believe that it's mostly learned...there are lots
>of skills that are rewarded more highly in one sex than in the other
>(nobody cared if I could catch a ball).

Eileen

I agree that many 'differences' between the sexes are learnt, however I
imagine that many are a mix of environmental (learnt) and genetic
(biological) effects. Even highly heridable characters in animals have
environmental components that affect their expression. The two are extremely
hard to pull apart. However, what I was referring to when I said
"biological" is colourblindness in men, this affliction is carried in the
sex chromosome and therefore gets passed from man to man. Hopefully, I got
that right. In any case, the frequency of colourblindness in the sexes is
largely a biological difference.

PS, I can catch balls OK but I can't throw all that far. I still have
this weird complex when I throw a ball and it doesn't get as far as everyone
else's throw. Now I avoid throwing, at least in public. I didn't look much
like a girl when I was a little kid so I blame the fact that I grew up in a
country (Chile) where kicking the ball (soccer) was more important than
throwing the ball or catching it (baseball). But then again my dad can't
throw either, I have never seen my mother throw :)

Alvaro Jaramillo "You are better off not knowing
Half Moon Bay, CA how sausages and laws are made"
- From fortune cookie, Vancouver
alvaro at quake.net circa 1994
http://www.quake.net/~alvaro/index.html