1 Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences Lecture 28
2 Scoring Your Questionnaire 1. Reverse score items 4, 5, 10, 18, and 19: If you selected 5 for the item, change your score on that item to 1. If you selected 4 for the item, change your score on that item to 2. If you selected 3 for the item, do not change your score. If you selected 2 for the item, change your score on that item to 4. If you selected 1 for the item, change your score on that item to Sum scores across 20 items.
3 Office Hour Invitations November 27 th, 1:30-2:30, Kenny
4 Cognitive Abilities and Emotion 2. Are there sex differences in emotional experience? 1. Do females and males differ in their cognitive abilities?
5 By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 1. discuss sex similarities and differences in: mathematical ability and spatial ability. 2. identify the ages at which sex differences in mathematical ability and spatial ability emerge. 3. identify trends across time in the magnitude of sex differences in mathematical ability and spatial ability.
6 4. identify universal emotions. 5. discuss sex differences in reported experiences of positive and negative emotions.
7 Confidence in and identification with mathematics: M > F. Research on mathematical ability (continued): Do females and males differ in their cognitive abilities? (continued)
8 Sex differences in mathematical ability increase across age groups, but are decreasing across time. Meta-analyses: ds for overall mathematical ability range from +.00 to +.16.
9 Research on spatial ability: Wechsler’s performance intelligence scale: M > F. Spatial perception: M > F. Mental rotation: M > F. Spatial visualization: M > F. Spatiotemporal ability: M > F.
10 Maps: F and M read and interpret maps differently. Spatial location memory: F > M. Perceptual speed: F > M.
11 Spatial Perception Rod and Frame Test Water Level Problem
12 Mental Rotation
13 Spatial Visualization Embedded Figures Paper Folding Embedded Figures
14 Spatiotemporal Ability
15 Spatial Location Memory
16 Perceptual Speed
17 Maps
18 Sex differences in spatial ability increase across age groups, but appear to be decreasing across time. Meta-analyses: ds for overall spatial ability range from +.13 to Hyde (1981, 2005) maintains that sex accounts for less than 5% of variance in spatial ability.
19 “Comprehensive” assessments of sex differences in cognitive abilities and cross-cultural assessments of sex differences in cognitive abilities are consistent with the research findings noted thus far:
20 Grade 12 Profile: Gender Difference and Similarity for 15 Types of Tests (Cole, 1997)
21 Are there sex differences in emotional experience? Joan and John have just learned that their neighbor was in a car accident and lost her baby. One cries; the other does not. Brenda and Mark have just witnessed two teenagers vandalize their car. One yells at the teenagers and chases them down the street; the other ignores the incident. Picture the following:
22 Ekman (1992) maintains that there are universal emotions (i.e., basic emotions) that generalize across sexes and cultures: happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, and disgust.
23 Ekman and Friesen’s (1971) Universal Emotions
24 Nevertheless, some research suggests that females and males differ in the frequency and intensity with which they experience these and related emotions:
25 Simon and Nath (2004) Asked respondents how many days in the previous week they experienced diverse emotions. Found sex differences in the frequency with which positive and negative emotions were experienced. Social status (e.g., income level) and parental involvement accounted for the sex differences.
26 Mean Emotional Frequency Scores for Females and Males (Simon & Nath, 2004) FemalesMalesp All feelings45.10 ns Positive feelings <.005 Negative feelings <.05 Calm feelings <.05 Excitement <.005 Anxiety Sadness <.001 Anger ns Shame ns
27 Cognitive Abilities and Emotion 2. Are there sex differences in emotional experience? 1. Do females and males differ in their cognitive abilities?