The Differences Between Male and Female Subjects - Research Paper Example

The Differences Between Male and Female Subjects Abstract This study consists of a comparison between male and female participants of a Stroop Test. The testing was done on a college campus using student volunteers. The study tested the hypothesis that men and women may perform differently on the Stroop test. Although there were measurable differences between male and female participants, the bar graphs show a similar pattern of performance. All results of the study were very close in nature. The study concluded that males and females performance on the Stroop test was similar with small variations. 1. Introduction The Stroop Test is a measure of ones mental “vitality and flexibility”. (De Young, 2007) Directional attention is tested by asking a subject to manage their attention, “inhibit or stop a response in order to say or do something else”.(De Young, 2007). The Stroop test measures the ability to identify a color word first written in ink of that color (congruent), and then again with the color word written in another color (incongruent). Number of attempts, responses, and the quickness of the responses are measured. The Stroop effect was first identified by Dr. John Ridley Stroop. It was the topic of Dr. Stroop’s doctural thesis and was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 1935. The Stroop effect is often taught to psycology majors as a first step in learning about psycological research. The Stroop Test has also been modified by researchers to allow the test to present different varibles in different ways. The purpose of this study is to measure the performance of both male and female subjects too see if there is a measurable difference in performance between the sexes. 2. Method A. Study participants were college students who volunteered to take the test held at the college. The oldest participant was 42 and, although he was much older, his participation was included in the study. In some cases, a variable is so different than other variables that it would be thrown out. Most of the participants were in their late teens to early twenties. 29 participants were female (38%) and 46 participants were male (61%). B. Apparatus-A computer with keyboard and mouse were used as the primary tool for testing. The Stroop test program presented the participants with color words presented in the same color as the word (congruent) for the first test. The second test presented color words in colors that did not match the word (incongruent). Participants were asked to complete both tests. The program recorded responses, whether the responses were correct or incorrect, and response speed. 3. Procedure The number of trials varied amongst participants. The average number of trials was 14.83 for the women and 15.59 for the men on the first test. The averages for the second test were 15.17 for the women and 14.47 for the men. Both male and female participants completed two tests: congruent and incongruent. All participants used the same equipment and were tested in a similar fashion. Results were recorded by the Stroop Test program on the computer. Participants did not practice prior to taking the first or second test. In effect, students were given the test “cold” rather than “warm” from practice. Results were evaluated using an Excel spreadsheet and statistical tools typically used in psychological studies (mean, standard deviation, t-test, variance etc…). 4. Results The standard deviation is the "mean of the mean," and can help show the normal distribution of data. The mean is the average of the data set. The results for the first test include the Standard Deviation (SD) and are as follows: Female Congruent Test Male Congruent Test Mean Trials: 14.83 SD 2.39 Mean Trials: 15.59 SD 2.52 Mean Correct: 14.55 SD 2.53 Mean Correct: 15.48 SD 2.54 Mean Response: .86 SD .05 Mean Response: .999 SD .07 The results for the second test (incongruent) are as follows: Female Incongruent Male Incongruent Mean Trials: 15.17 SD 2.39 Mean Trials: 14.41 SD 2.52 Mean Correct: 10.86 SD 2.83 Mean Correct: 10.93 SD 2.50 Mean Response: 1.11 SD .012 Mean Response: 1.33 SD .10 Variance and Standard Deviation are closely related. Variance measures variability and is calculated as SD squared. “The t-test assesses whether the means of two groups are statistically different from each other. This analysis is appropriate whenever you want to compare the means of two groups, and especially appropriate as the analysis for the posttest-only two-group randomized experimental design.”(Research Methods Knowledge Base) Analysis of congruent vs. incongruent results. T-Test Females Trials: .7728 Correct: .0084 Response: .0042 Degrees of Freedom: 29 Males Trials: .217 Correct: 1.49E Response: 1.51E Degrees of Freedom: 46 5. Discussion Male and female performances on the Stroop test were very close but do have measurable differences. The males did slightly better on the congruent test but their response between being presented with a color word and clicking on the answer was slightly more than their female counterparts. On the incongruent test the women had more trials but their correct responses were just slightly below their male counterparts. The males had a slightly longer response time then their female counterparts. Both males and females perform fairly similar on both tests. Although there were some measurable differences the bar graphs for both sexes were similar. There were more male participants in the study (46 male, 29 female) so the male results had more degrees of freedom than the female results. Had there been an equal amount of male and female participants the results may have been more similar. Questions for further study would include a measure of how many participants passed or failed a color blindness test prior to the Stroop Test. A modification of the test should be considered, to include possible disqualification from the study, if the participant was found to be colorblind. American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. De Young, Dr. Raymond. Associate Professor of Environmental Psychology and Conservation Behavior University of Michigan. Retrieved 2007-05-01 From http://www.snre.umich.edu/eplab/demos/st0/stroopdesc.html Research Methods Knowledge Base. 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-01 From http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/stat_t.php Read More