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Cognitive sex differences: speed and problem-solving strategies on computerized neuropsychological tasks
B A Klinteberg1, S E Levander, D Schalling
1Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|December 1, 1987
Summary
Boys exhibit faster reaction times and superior visuospatial skills compared to girls, employing different cognitive strategies. Left-handed girls showed particular difficulties in visuospatial tasks, suggesting sex-based differences in brain lateralization.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Sex and handedness influence cognitive performance and brain lateralization.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for educational and clinical applications.
- Previous research suggests potential sex-based variations in reaction time and problem-solving strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex and handedness differences in reaction time (RT), response inhibition, and visuospatial problem-solving.
- To analyze cognitive strategies employed by males and females in a visuospatial task.
- To explore the relationship between handedness, sex, and visuospatial skill lateralization.
Main Methods:
- Administered computerized neuropsychological tasks, including reaction time (RT) tests and the Perceptual Maze Test, to 56 high-school students.
- Collected data on skill, strategy, and laterality measures.
- Analyzed performance in relation to participant sex and handedness.
Main Results:
- Boys were significantly faster than girls on most RT subtasks and made more errors on right-sided stimuli, indicating a less cautious strategy.
- Boys outperformed girls in maze performance, utilizing a more impulsive-global strategy.
- Girls employed a more reflective-sequential strategy, were slower, but did not miss more targets.
- Left-handed girls demonstrated lower performance on maze tasks, especially in left-sided pathways.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive performance differences between sexes are linked to distinct hemispheric activation patterns and strategies.
- Left-handed girls may exhibit less differentiated lateralization and subtle visuospatial skill dysfunction.
- Findings highlight the interplay of sex, handedness, and cognitive processing in adolescents.