Background: Cognitive dexterity is a higher functional competence that we need to execute most of the day-to-day movements. These motor proficiency and intellectual skills are mostly influenced by the presence of estrogen and testosterone levels. The levels of these chemicals (mainly testosterone) in both males and females accord supremacy in males as compared to females in most of the dimensional intelligence. Testosterone by converting into estrogen may improve directly or indirectly cognitive function. This study is intended to find out any casual or causal relationship between this cognitive behavior and sex difference.
Aims and Objectives: This study aims to find the difference in cognitive abilities in both the sexes.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Gulbarga. We selected student volunteers of age 1825 years for study. Cognitive function tests as visual reaction time (VRT), and go-no-go test for attention, fast counting for perception, Eriksen flanker test, and Stroop test (ST) for execution and working memory were conducted in males and in preovulatory and postovulatory phase for females. Data were compared and statistical analysis was done using SPSS software.
Results: Cognitive functions in male were almost similar to females in the preovulatory phase. Cognitive functions only VRT and ST in male differed to females in postovulatory phase. Males performed better than females in VRT. Reading color interferences in ST were done more accurately by females than males.
Conclusion: The difference showed in results mainly focus on; emergence of sex difference developmentally and its magnitude, gender variations in spatial skills contributed by biological and environmental factors? And effect of training in minimizing this difference? Spatializing curriculum may also have role in raising level of spatial thinking in students. Different cognitive functions, depending on the tasks performed, are selectively affected by sex-related hormone modulation.
Key words: Cognitive Function Tests; Sex Hormones; Gender Variations, Spatial Skills
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