Sex and occupation as markers for task performance in a dichotic measure of brain asymmetry

The present experiment tested dichotic listening performance in four groups of subjects: males and females working in occupations carried out most commonly by males, and males and females working in occupations most commonly carried out by females. It was hypothesized that both males and females in male-typical occupations would produce a similar pattern of performance in a dichotic task, that is, they would produce a marked right ear advantage (REA), reflecting a more asymmetric hemisphere organisation, while males and females in female-typical occupations would show a reduced REA reflecting less asymmetrically distributed underlying neural structures. The experimental results supported the hypothesis and are interpreted as support for a dimensional view of neurological sexual differentiation.