Minimal gender differences on the CNS vital signs computerized neurocognitive battery

Normative test scores often are corrected for demographic variables that can have an impact on neurocognitive abilities (e.g., gender, age, education, and ethnicity). The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are gender differences on the CNS Vital Signs computerized neurocognitive test battery. Participants, selected from a large normative database, were 100 healthy adults aged 18 to 68 years old (M(age) = 35.8 years, SD = 13.6) with 15.5 years of education (SD = 2.2). Men (n = 50) and women (n = 50) were individually and precisely matched on age, education, ethnicity, computer use, occupation, and handedness. This battery of seven tests yields 23 test scores, 5 domain scores (Memory, Psychomotor Speed, Reaction Time, Complex Attention, and Cognitive Flexibility), and a total score. Men had significantly better scores than did women on the Finger-Tapping Test for the right hand (p = .006, Cohen's d = 0.57). No other scores were significantly different, although there were small-medium effect sizes in favor of women on Symbol-Digit Coding (d = .39) and Verbal Memory (d = .37). The trends toward gender differences in word-list recognition memory and processing speed are consistent with the literature, but because they were nonsignificant and the effect sizes were modest, the clinician likely does not need to factor this into test interpretation.