Sex Differences In Expectancy Research Articles

Age and Sex Differences in Expectancy for Success Among American Children

Summary This study investigated expectancy for success and actual performance of 179 American boys and girls at seven, nine, and 11 years of age in a tossing task which was labeled by children as a neutral task. Children were asked to give a verbal estimate of the number of successful trials out of 10 they expected to complete. The dependent measures were expectancy scores and performance scores. Results indicated significant grade and sex differences on expectancy for success and actual performance. Generally, the findings yielded no support for the notion that sociocultural expectations regarding motor performance of females are undergoing rapid changes. The results suggest that boys still have higher expectations for success and show better performance than girls on a simple neutral motor task.

Expectancy of success on sex-linked tasks

College subjects undertook nine cognitive tasks with different perceived sex linkages, stating their expectancy of success prior to each task and attributing causality for their perceived performance following each task. As hypothesized, two components were present in the overall sex difference in expectancy of success, even when differences in actual task performance were statistically controlled. One component was attributable to a general tendency of females to state lower expectancies; the other was a function of the accord between the perceived sex linkage of the task and the subject's sex. The attribution data suggest that females tend to be more external for success and more internal for failure than males.

Sex differences in performance attribution and contingency judgment

In two studies, male and female subjects were given attribution measures before and after performance on a novel finger maze. Neither study revealed any sex differences in expectancy and anticipated attributions prior to maze performance. In Experiment 1, no sex differences in attributions were obtained regardless of whether the outcome was success or failure. In Experiment 2, where the outcome was made completely noncontingent on behavior, females had greater illusion of control as well as higher luck attribution. This paradoxical finding was interpreted as reflecting females' tendency to depend on external and internal attributions simultaneously.

Sex differences in expectancy of examination results

Abstract.— Within a group of undergraduates it was found that men had higher expectancy than women in a psychology examination. Although importance of examination results for future career was positively related to expected results in both sex groups, women did not regard results as less important than men did, and the sex difference in expectancy could not be attributed differential value of examination for women and men. Whereas estimated importance of results for future career was positively related to importance of results for self‐regard in the male group, no such relationship was found for women.

Sex-specific aging in the nematode Panagrellus redivivus

Females of the free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus have a greater mean life span than do males. Unmated animals live longer than mated individuals. Decreased nutritional levels or increased temperature decrease life span. The sex differences in life expectancy are also shown by behavioral activity and osmotic fragility. Behavioral activity decreases in older animals.