Sex Differences in Verbal Fluency Among Young Adults

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Verbal fluency tasks assess cognitive functions like executive functions, memory, and language.
• Previous research on sex differences in verbal fluency primarily used population studies, with limited focus on young adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of sex and task category on word production and verbal strategies in young adults.
• To compare men and women on phonemic (letter-based) and semantic (category-based) verbal fluency.
• To analyze verbal strategies, including switching and clustering, in relation to sex and task type.

Main Methods:

• Utilized phonemic fluency tasks (letters
• f
• k
• ) and semantic fluency tasks (animals, fruits, sharp objects).
• Assessed word production quantity and verbal strategies (number of switches, mean cluster size) in young adults.
• Controlled for produced words when analyzing verbal strategies.

Main Results:

• Men produced slightly more words in semantic fluency tasks compared to women; no sex differences were observed in verbal strategies.
• No significant sex differences were found in word production or verbal strategies for phonemic fluency tasks.
• Significant differences in word production, mean cluster sizes, and switches were observed between different semantic and phonemic tasks.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest subtle sex differences in verbal fluency among young adults, potentially linked to variations in mental lexicon or social roles.
• Assessment of verbal strategies alongside word production is crucial for understanding sex differences in verbal fluency.
• These insights are relevant for neuropsychological diagnostics and further research into cognitive processes in young adults.