Provides an overview of literature dealing with sex-related differences in mathematics. Areas considered include: (1) parental factors; (2) school and teacher factors; (3) peer group values; and psychological explanations. (JN)

The speechreading performance of 50 adults (ages 20-69) with normal hearing and vision was evaluated. Findings indicated that females showed significantly higher speechreading scores than males, that females improved their performance significantly over the 2 trials (unlike males), and that females in their 30s had the best performance and males…

Performance on the Digit Span (DSP) and Digit Symbol (DSY) subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) have been said to be vulnerable to the effects of anxiety, seating arrangements, and sex of subject. To determine the effects of these variables on anxiety and test performance on the WAIS-R DSP and DSY subtests, 40 male and 40…

Previous research has found that males perform better than females on the pursuit rotor. To examine whether males and females with different sex role orientations would perform differently on a motor task, 120 students (classified as androgynous, traditional sex role, cross-sexed, or undifferentiated, based on scores on the Personal Attributes…

To explore personal characteristics (achievement motivation and anxiety) which may affect performance on a recognition task, three studies were conducted using a 375-word text on dreaming. In the first study, 54 college students answered questions about the passage either with or without reading the material. Results confirmed that recognition was…

Previous research on the primacy effect in ability attribution has focused on intellectual ability, using intelligence test problems as the stimulus material. To examine ability attribution under conditions of ascending (improving), descending, and random patterns of performance on a typing task, 179 college students (69 males, 110 females)…

Some research on the stimulant effect of caffeine suggests that the amount of behavioral enhancement produced by caffeine may depend on subjects' prior experience with the task and the drug. A study was undertaken to test whether prior experience with a task while under the influence of caffeine would facilitate performance of that task. Male…

Intelligence quotient (IQ) differences among groups according to sex, and demographic and other variables have been explored for a variety of intelligence tests. This investigation analyzed data from the standardization sample for the 1981 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) to determine the relationship of WAIS-R IQs to the…

The expression of children's concepts of sex-roles was explored by examining changes in the masculinity and femininity of human figure drawings of males and females. A total of 106 sixth-grade students participated in two Draw-a-Person sessions. In the drawing task, persons to be drawn were either specified in terms of gender or unspecified as to…

Research on gender differences in group performance suggests that males excel at brainstorming while females excel at human relations and integration. To investigate the relations among gender, interaction style, and task performance, 264 college students (130 female, 134 male) worked in three person same sex groups on a production task which…

Examined personality (persistence, future orientation, and the tendency toward reckless/rash behavior) and cognitive factors related to success or failure in college science courses. One finding noted is that both men and women were more apt to attribute their success to effort/ability, and their failure to the difficulty of a task. (JN)

Identified factors associated with college students' interest in science and mathematics and if these factors differed for men and women or for Blacks and Whites. Results are based on a 78-item questionnaire completed by 2,046 junior/senior students who participated voluntarily in the study. (JN)

Studies relationships among sex difference, performance expectation, and actual performance in video game competition between female and male subjects. Finds that self-confidence of females is not lower than that of males after competing against a good opponent, indicating that performance expectancies may be more related to skill level than to…

Visitors to an interactive science center were observed while assembling a large-scale lock and key kit. Males, and those who had previously watched another visitor, were faster at initial assembly of the lock, but for males this speed advantage disappeared in a reassembly test. Discusses what counts as "understanding" an exhibit.…

A 2-year study of mathematics performance of sixth-grade students was conducted to: (1) determine the extent to which previously reported sex differences in California data exist and influence student response; (2) examine the predominant successful and unsuccessful strategies used by sixth-grade students in solving story problems; (3) discover to…