Sex Differences in Semantic Categorization

Abstract

Sex differences in certain cognitive abilities, including aspects of semantic processing, are well established. However, there have been no reports investigating a sex difference in semantic categorization. A total of 55 men and 58 women each judged 25 exemplars of natural categories (e.g., FRUITS) and 25 of artifact categories (e.g., TOOLS) as a nonmember, partial member, or full member of the given category. Participants also rated confidence for each judgment. Women provided a greater number vague (partial member) judgments, whereas men provided more inclusive (full member) judgments of artifacts but more exclusive (nonmember) judgments of natural categories. The sex difference in vagueness was observed across domains (Cohen's d = .56). Confidence predicted categorization among both men and women, such that more confident participants exhibited fewer vague category judgments. However, men and women were equally confident in their category judgments, and confidence failed to explain the sex difference in categorization. Men and women appear to categorize the same common objects in systematically different ways.

Differential Resting State Connectivity Patterns and Impaired Semantically Cued List Learning Test Performance in Early Course Remitted Major Depressive Disorder

“…It is important that the effect of sex on verbal memory performance is not overlooked, as many previous studies have demonstrated superior verbal memory abilities in females when compared to males (e.g., Kramer et al, 2003; Lewin et al, 2001). Additionally, previous studies have also shown sex differences in semantic categorization, which our semantically-cued memory test is reliant upon (Pasterski, Zwierzynska, & Estes, 2011). Therefore, we determined that sex should be a covariate when examining behavioral performance.…”

Confidence Mediates the Sex Difference in Mental Rotation Performance

“…Moreover, because confidence is gauged before the judgment is made (Baranski & Petrusic, 1998), it may affect that judgment (Petrusic & Baranski, 2003). Indeed, confidence has been shown to predict performance on other cognitive tasks, such as mathematical problem solving (Casey, Nuttall, & Pezaris, 1997;Schmader et al, 2009) and semantic categorization (Estes, 2004;Pasterski, Zwierzynska, & Estes, 2011). So given these sex differences in confidence and mental rotation, and given that confidence mediates performance on some cognitive tasks, confidence might mediate the sex difference in mental rotation.…”