This study reviews the literature on gender issues in human development, focuses on student revealing differences in specific abilities of males and females, and discusses whether those differences are as well established as the literature suggests. The research literature is examined from the following perspectives: perception, physical/motor ability, moral reasoning, and cognitive ability. The study notes that males demonstrate higher levels of physical activity and score higher on measures of mathematical ability, but most studies reviewed emphasize the effect of age and environmental influences. Females tend to score higher on verbal measures after the age of 11 to approximately 13, with increasing superiority over males into adulthood. The review concludes that recent studies using sensitive statistical tests suggest that previous reports of gender differences have exaggerated their significance. Contains 31 references. (AP)