Agneta Herlitz

Agneta Herlitz is Professor of Psychology at Karolinska Institutet since 2008.

Agneta Herlitz’ research on sex differences in psychological capacities and behaviors has the overarching aim to describe and explain these differences but also to understand the potential impact they have on society and everyday life. Currently, the group addresses questions such as what is the origin or the explanation for sex differences in cognition and behavior? Most reported sex differences in cognition and behavior are small, have vastly overlapping distributions, and cannot differentiate well between females and males, but is it possible to identify consistent patterns of cognitive skills and behaviors that constitute meaningful sex-typical profiles? Can such sex-typical profiles provide an understanding of why there are large sex differences in some life outcomes, such as career choices?