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Impact of sex, familial sinistrality, and hormone levels on visuospatial ability and strategy use in right-handers (The)
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1860/331
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| Title: | Impact of sex, familial sinistrality, and hormone levels on visuospatial ability and strategy use in right-handers (The) |
| Authors: | D'Andrea, Elizabeth Ann |
| Keywords: | Sex differences (Psychology)
Psychology
Spatial behavior |
| Issue Date: | 31-Aug-2004 |
| Abstract: | Cognitive sex differences are greatest in spatial areas, with men
demonstrating more efficient solution strategies and greater overall
performance than women on some tasks. An exception to this pattern has been
found in a subgroup of women identified by individual and family handedness
(right-handed with at least one left-handed biological relative)--factors
that may be linked to genetic influences on brain organization. These women
not only exhibit equal ability to men but also appear to use similar
strategies. Normal fluctuations in estrogen during the menstrual cycle have
also been associated with performance variations within women. Spatial
performance may peak at menses, when estrogen is relatively low. Conversely,
verbal performance may be best during phases when estrogen is relatively
high. The current study examined the effect of sex, family handedness, and
hormone (estrogen and testosterone) levels on cognitive performance and
strategy use. Although the role of each of these factors was considered
independently, the primary focus of this study was to explore possible
interactions between them. Fifty subjects, grouped as to sex and family
handedness, attended two test sessions. For females, sessions were timed to
correspond with the late follicular and menstrual phases of the menstrual
cycle. A repeated measures MANOVA was significant for sex F (13,34)= 4.46
(p<.0001), with men outperforming women on mental rotation and finger
tapping and women outperforming men on the Grooved Pegboard. A MANOVA
conducted on non-repeated measures found a significant effect for family
handedness, favoring FS+ women, on the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure (recall
and strategy). No overall main effect for menstrual cycle phase was found
for women. However, a significant interaction was found between cycle phase
and family handedness, with FS+ women performing better during the menstrual
phase of their cycle and FS- women showing better performance at mid-cycle.
This tendency was seen across spatial, verbal, and motor measures. These
results may offer some insight into why findings regarding menstrual cycle
effects have been inconsistent and suggest that it may be important to
consider between-subject factors when looking at any possible within-subject
effects such as those that may occur over the menstrual cycle. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1860/331 |
| Appears in Collections: | Drexel Theses and Dissertations
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