Mediate Gender Differences Research Articles

Goals as a mediator of gender differences in high-affiliation dyadic conversations.

Goals as a mediator of gender differences in high-affiliation dyadic conversations.

Gender Differences in Patients with Panic Disorder: Evaluating Cognitive Mediation of Phobic Avoidance

Epidemiologic reports have consistently found that females are at greater risk for the development of panic disorder, in particular, when it is accompanied by agoraphobia. Although gender appears to be a well-established risk factor for the development of phobic avoidance, the mechanisms that account for this increased risk have yet to be delineated. Often, gender differences in phobic avoidance are speculated to arise from differences in courage (e.g., men are expected to be brave and endure fear-provoking situations). Our study evaluated this popular but unsubstantiated theory and advanced another hypothesis: Differences in panic- and arousal-related cognitions may account for gender differences in phobic avoidance. Male (n = 27) and female (n = 61) patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were evaluated. Data did not support gender differences in courage; nor were these indices related to phobic avoidance. In contrast, there were significant gender differences in several cognitive domains. Moreover, anxiety sensitivity and panic-related appraisals mediated gender differences in phobic avoidance.

Gender differences in physical symptoms and illness behavior: A health diary study

Recent studies on symptom perception have highlighted the role of psychological factors, such as mood states and external involvement, in physical symptom reporting. To date, the consistently found higher physical symptom reports in women have not been studied from this perspective. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological determinants of gender differences in physical symptoms and illness behavior on a daily basis. During four adjacent weeks, a healthy primary care sample of 92 women and 61 men kept health diaries, containing scales for physical symptoms, illness behavior, external information and positive and negative mood. The daily health records showed the typical gender difference in physical symptoms, but not in illness behavior. Negative mood was found to be the strongest predictor of physical symptoms. Physical symptoms in turn were the strongest predictor of illness behavior. The modest gender difference in physical symptoms disappeared after controlling for positive and negative mood. Thus, mood states seem to mediate gender differences in symptom reporting.

Right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and prejudice.

Right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation have been proposed as 2 major individual-difference variables underlying prejudice. This study examined the relationships of these variables to 3 forms of prejudice-affective responses, stereotyping, and attitudes toward equality enhancement-directed at 2 social groups-African Americans and homosexuals. Canonical correlation analyses showed that social dominance orientation was related to most forms of prejudice directed toward both groups and that right-wing authoritarianism was related to affective responses to and stereotyping of homosexuals. In addition, it was found that, as predicted by the social dominance model, stereotyping mediated the relationships between social dominance orientation and other forms of prejudice and that social dominance orientation mediated gender differences in expressions of prejudice.

Estrogen protects against while testosterone exacerbates vulnerability of the lateral striatal artery to chemical hypoxia by 3-nitropropionic acid

Gender differences in the vulnerability of the lateral striatal artery (lSTR artery) to systemic intoxication with 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA, succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor) were studied. Subcutaneous injection of 3-NPA (20 mg/kg once a day for 2 days) induced striatal selective lesions in half of male rats associated with motor symptoms (rolling, paddling, recumbency, etc) while female rats were resistant. Lesions were located in the lateral striata and characterized by astroglial necrotic cell death, enhanced immunoreaction to factor VIII-related antigen, edema, extravasation of IgG and sometimes bleeding. The motor and histological disturbances were highly sex-dependent and modulated by changes in hormonal levels. Males were more susceptible than females. Castration had little effect but ovariectomy enhanced the vulnerability. Replacement therapy with testosterone increased while estradiol or tamoxifen suppressed the vulnerability in ovariectomized females. Investigation of the arterial architecture of the brain often revealed rectangular and acute angled branchings in the centrolateral striatum where the lSTR artery feeds. A parallel in vitro toxicity study demonstrated that an extreme Ca ++ overload and a strong cellular swelling resulted in astrocytic cell death. Data suggest that lSTR artery and astrocytes are highly vulnerable to 3-NPA intoxication in males. The greater vulnerability of the lSTR artery may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, striatal bleeding, etc Protective effects of estrogen and tamoxifen may mediate gender differences often observed in these disorders and suggest their potential use as therapeutic agents for these disorders.

Gender differences in mediation of severe occupational stress among correctional officers

This study explored gender differences in how correctional officers react to severe occupational stress and addressed differences in coping processes and social support utilization. The subjects were 244 correctional officers (167 men and 77 women) employed in Kentucky medium security institutions for male offenders. The study employed a survey administered to the volunteering participants. The Ways of Coping Questionnaire was used to assess coping processes used to deal with a stressful work event, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to assess severe occupational stress. Statistical analyses revealed that correctional officers experience high levels of occupational stress but did not indicate gender differences in emotional exhaustion or depersonalization. The results indicated that female officers more frequently than male officers processed stress by seeking social support, while male officers more frequently than female officers processed stress by “planful problem solving.” No differences were found in correctional officers’ relationships with oppositesex peers. The results suggested that male and female correctional officers follow traditional sex roles in coping with occupational stress, but they revealed no differences in how they are affected by occupational stress in terms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.

Mediators of gender differences in mathematics college entrance test scores: a comparison of spatial skills with internalized beliefs and anxieties.

This study was designed to investigate whether spatial skill, math anxiety, and math self-confidence functioned as mediators of a significant gender difference in the Mathematics Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) among the top third of a college-bound sample. Using path analytic techniques, the decomposition of the significant gender-SAT-M correlation into direct and indirect effects indicated that there were no direct effects of gender on SAT-M. Mental rotation and math self-confidence showed indirect effects, mediating the gender-SAT-M relationship; math anxiety did not. Of these indirect effects, 36% was mediated by math self-confidence; 64% by mental rotation. For both these variables, most of the mediational effects of the gender-SAT-M relationship did not occur by way of the causal pathway leading through geometry grades. Thus, the mediational effects cannot simply be attributed to the presence of geometry items on the SAT-M or to math self-confidence acquired during prior geometry coursework.

Mediators of gender differences in mathematics college entrance test scores: A comparison of spatial skills with internalized beliefs and anxieties.

Mediators of gender differences in mathematics college entrance test scores: A comparison of spatial skills with internalized beliefs and anxieties.

Gender differences in resting metabolic rate and noradrenaline kinetics in older individuals.

The physiological factors mediating gender differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) in older individuals are presently unclear. We examined the contribution of sympathetic nervous system activity to gender differences in resting metabolic rate in older men and women and its relation to body fat distribution. We performed measurements of noradrenaline (NA) kinetics from infusions of [3H]-NA, RMR, body fat distribution, body composition, peak Vo2 and dietary intake in 29 older men (69 +/- 6 years) and 26 older women (65 +/- 5 years). Older men weighed more (P < 0.01) and had a greater fat-free mass (P < 0.01) and a larger waist circumference (P < 0.01) than older women. Older men had a higher RMR (P < 0.05) than older women, which persisted after controlling for differences in fat-free mass and fat mass. Older men also showed a greater NA appearance rate (P < 0.01) at rest than older women. The higher NA appearance rate in older men was partly related to their greater waist circumference (r = 0.50, P < 0.01). We explored the sympathetic contribution to gender differences in RMR by statistically controlling for differences in body composition and NA appearance rate. After this procedure, we found no gender differences in adjusted RMR between older men (4.3 +/- 0.5 kJ min(-1)) and older women (4.3 +/- 0.4 kJ min(-1)). Our results suggest that: (a) older men have a higher RMR than older women independent of differences in body composition; (b) the higher RMR in older men may be partly due to higher levels of sympathetic nervous system activity; (c) the higher sympathetic nervous system activity in older men is partly related to their greater waist circumference, a proxy measure of central body fatness.

Elevated Self-Standards and Emotional Distress During Adolescence: Emotional Specificity and Gender Differences

This study examined the relation between self-standards and particular forms of emotional distress during adolescence. One hundred fifteen high school subjects completed the Selves Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Actual-ideal discrepancies and self-oriented perfectionism were found to be associated specifically with depressive symptoms after controlling for anxious symptoms, whereas actual-ought discrepancies were associated specifically with anxious symptoms after controlling for depressive symptoms. In contrast, socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with general emotional distress. Compared with boys, girls reported more depressive, but not anxious, symptoms. Importantly, actual-ideal discrepancies partially mediated gender differences in depressive symptoms.

Do gender differences in spatial skills mediate gender differences in mathematics among high-ability students?

AbstractBased on Geary's theory, intelligence may determine which males utilize innate spatial knowledge to inform their mathematical solutions. This may explain why math gender differences occur mainly with higher abilities. In support, we found that mental rotation ability served as a mediator of gender differences on the math Scholastic Assessment Test for two high-ability samples. Our research suggests, however, that environment and biology interact to influence mental rotation abilities.

Gender differences in computer-related attitudes: It depends on what you ask

Reviews of research on gender differences in computer attitudes have concluded that the results of studies are contradictory or that any differences that exist are very small. This study tested the hypothesis that the size of gender differences found depends on the facet of computer-related attitudes assessed. A survey of college students' computer-related attitudes and behaviors resulted in four key findings. First, attitudes toward computers as assessed in this study can be described in terms of one affective factor — anxiety — and two cognitive factors — positive and negative beliefs concerning the social impact of computers. Second, there is a moderate gender difference for anxiety, a small gender difference for negative beliefs, and no gender difference for positive beliefs. Third, small to moderate gender differences exist on measures of computer-related behavior. Finally, although prior experience with computers does not mediate gender differences in anxiety, anxiety does appear to mediate gender differences in current computer-related behavior. Implications of these findings for reducing gender differences in computer-related behaviors are discussed.

The effectiveness of selected risk factors in mediating gender differences in drinking and its problems

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in adolescents' alcohol use, adverse consequences of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and the effectiveness of selected risk factors in mediating gender differences. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected from a sample of high school students (n=919) in one midwestern community. Four criteria for examining potential mediated relationships were addressed. Expected differences in relation to males' higher levels of frequent and heavy drinking, adverse consequences of AOD use and risk factors were found. All risk factors were significantly related to adverse consequences, but alienation was not related to drinking behavior. In a one-way ANOVA, the main effects of gender were significant for both drinking behavior and adverse consequences of AOD use. In a two-way ANOVA, the main effects of a risk factor index reduced the main effects of gender substantially. Controlling risk factor levels mediates gender differences in the outcomes, drinking behavior and adverse consequences of AOD use.

The influence of spatial ability on gender differences in mathematics college entrance test scores across diverse samples.

The relationship between mental rotation ability and gender differences in Scholastic Aptitude Test-Math (SAT-M) across diverse samples was investigated. Talented preadolescents, college students, and high- and low-ability college-bound youths, totaling 760, were administered the Vandenberg Mental Rotation Test. Gender comparisons showed male outperforming female students in both mental rotation and SAT-M for all 3 high-ability groups but not for the low-ability group. For all female samples, mental rotation predicted math aptitude even when SAT-Verbal was entered first into the regression. For male samples, the relationship varied as a function of sample. When mental rotation ability was statistically adjusted for, the significant gender difference in SAT-M was eliminated for the college sample and the high-ability college-bound students. This suggests that spatial ability may be responsible in part for mediating gender differences in math aptitude among these groups.

PERSONALITY, LEARNING STYLE AND COGNITVE STYLE PROFILES OF MATHEMATICALLY TALENTED STUDENTS

Clear personality differences were found for a sample of academically talented students when compared to a general population of same age students. On the Myers‐Briggs dimensions, the academically talented students differed significantly from the comparison group on all four dimensions. Specifically, the academically talented group expressed greater preferences for introversion, intuition, and thinking. Although there were more judging types in this group than in the comparison group, overall more academically talented students expressed a preference for a perceptive style. They also tended to be higher on achievement motivation and lower on interpersonal and social concerns. In particular, a cognitive style that empasizes a thinking over a feeling mode appears to mediate gender differences in mathematics ability and achievement.

Restrained eating: Mediator of gender differences on cognitive restructuring tasks?

This study examined the hypothesis that gender differences in eating restraint might mediate previously reported gender differences in cognitive restructuring tasks. Thirty female and 30 male college students matched for dietary restraint were administered two tests that had differentiated females from males and obese from normal-weight individuals in previous research: Luchins' water jar problems, and the Embedded Figures Test. On the water jar problems, use of the initial solution when no longer most efficient was greater for restrained eaters than for unrestrained eaters and no gender differences were found, supporting the hypothesis. On the Embedded Figures Test, males performed better than females, with restrained females tending to perform most poorly.

Sex-role norms and gender-related attainment values: Their role in attributions of success and failure

Sex-role norms and gender-related attainment values are considered as possible mediators of gender differences in causal attributions for success and failure. Several revisions of attribution theory are suggested in order to extend the theory to include corollaries concerning sex-role norms. The concept of sex-role consistency is employed as a basis for understanding how sex-role norms affect causal attributions. In addition, gender-related attainment values are hypothesized to affect causal attributions via differential salience and functioning of outcomes. Finally, the analysis is applied to an additional area of achievement-related behavior, gender differences in reward allocation norm choice.