Sex-Role Orientation and Cognitive Complexity

Abstract

The relative adaptability and flexibility of individuals not tied to specific sex-role behaviors, i.e., androgyny ( 2 ) , might reflect complementary high cognitive maturity. To test this, 37 female undergraduates completed five measures of sex-role orientation and rwo measures of cognitive complexity. The use of multiple measures provides a broad test of the hypothesized relationship. Subjects completed Bem's Sex-role Inventory ( I ) , Brogan and Kutner's Sex-role Orientation Scale ( 3 ) , Levison and Huffman's Traditional Faniily Ideology Scale ( 6 ) , Roberts and Woertzel's measure of feminine life style ( 7 ) , and Smith, Ferre, and Miller's FEM scale ( 8 ) . High scores on the orientation, FEW, and life-style measures reflect less traditional sex-role orientation. High scores on Bem's and family ideology scales indicate more traditional sex-role orientation. Subjects also completed two measures of cognitive complexity; the Paragraph Completion Test (5 ) and Harvey's This I Believe test ( 4 ) . Contrary to our hypothesis there were no significant relationships betwe:n sex-role orientation and cognitive complexity.