Interhemisphere transfer in males and females

Sex differences in the speed of interhemisphere transfer of visual information were assessed by means of a modified version of a task on which Potter and Graves (1988) have recently reported significantly lower error rates in females. The main aim was to examine the effect of including a control condition in which stimuli are presented centrally. In the light of their results, it was predicted that any advantage to females would be restricted to the peripheral condition since central presentations do not necessarily require interhemisphere transfer. Response latencies and errors were measured. No interaction between sex and position of presentation was found to occur. It is suggested that the lower error rates observed by Potter and Graves in females may have been the result of sex differences in speed-error trade off rather than in interhemisphere transfer.