SEX DIFFERENCES AND MOTOR TASK PERFORMANCE.

Abstract

The experimental literatlire pertaining to sex differences in motor task performance is contradictory: some investigators find that males outperform females (Kjerland, 1953; Ammons, Alprin, & Ammons, 1955); others find the opposite (Thanga, 1955); while still others indicate that when motor learning tasks are involved, e.g., tapping with the Ieft hand, inverted alphabet printing task, tasks that require responses not well-established or responses that are not normally encountered by S, then sex differences in motor performance are manifested. In an experiment designed to investigate possible performance differences between men and women on a hand-eye coordination exercise, 100 college Ss (50 male, 50 female) performed a simple, repetitive motor task of filling Xs in circles (as rapidly as possible) for 50 min. Xs were marked on worksheets containing 300 circles apiece. The present task is somewhat similar to the Tsai-Partington Numbers Test ( Ammons, 1955 ) . There were four findings of interest: (a) There was no significant difference between males and females on motor task performance during the first 5 min. (b) There was no significant difference between males and females in performance in the total 50 min. (c) Ss performed this simple, repetitive motor task more rapidIy during the first minute than during the fifth minute (p < .01 by t test). (d) Performance showed improvement, i.e., was more rapid, when performance during the time block of 6 to 10 min. was compared with performance during the last 5 min. of the task (p < .O1 by t test). The findings of this study lend support to the notion that sex of S makes no difference in the performance of this simple, repetitive motor task. Assuming that the increased rate of responding between Min. 6 to 10 and 46 to 50 (finding d in results) is due to learning (change which occurs as a result of practice), one might say that the present data do not agree with conclusions from previous studies which indicate differences for males and females in learning motor tasks.