| Complexity level: | 6 |
| Time required: | Additional time may be required to enlist participants. |
| Safety concerns: |
Overview
Studies suggest that the brains of males and females are different. Males are thought to have better gross motor skills than females, while females are better at fine motor skills. In spatial tasks, males fare better, while females do better in visual tasks. When asked to do something, some studies indicate that females seem to prefer being told what to do, while males prefer to be shown what to do. When completing tasks, studies seem to show that females tend to look for the most efficient way, while males tend to be guided less by thought. These differences may not be entirely physiological as they may be the result of societal stereotypes. Motor skills are an example of this. From a young age, boys are encouraged to be involved in sports (gross motor skills), while girls are encouraged to read, write, talk, and participate in art and craft (fine motor skills). These findings are generalizations and not individual-specific; also, without knowing the details of these studies, it would be a mistake to assume that all ages and cultures conform with these research findings. This experiment will help you make your own conclusions regarding these differences.
Scientific Terms
Materials
- A minimum of 6 male and 6 female participants, of the same age
- Stop watch
- An assortment of props or objects (for example,
- List of tasks (example provided)
- Data sheet (provided).
Example of a List of Tasks
- Jump up and down three times
- Do three push-ups
- Imitate the sound of a chicken
- Close your eyes and count out loud to 5.
- Put on a t-shirt backward (t-shirt is provided).
- Take your shoes off then put them back on.
- Stand on one leg for 3 seconds
- Run in place for 10 seconds
- Write the word "cat" 10 times on a piece of paper (pencil and paper is provided).
- Ignore all previous instructions. Do not perform any of them. Thank you for being part of this experiment.
Procedure
- Test each participant separately
- Explain to each participant that they are being tested on their ability to complete a list of tasks and that they will be timed. Also advise the participant that they will be competing against the other participants. (This will create a sense of competition).
- Allow each participant to have a copy of the list of tasks to refer to at the time of the experiment (do not let participants see the list of tasks prior to actually being tested). In particular, do not mention how much time the participants have, for reading the list.
- Enter your observations of each participant in the data sheet. Did the participant follow instructions as indicated on the list of task?
- Allow each participant one minute to complete the task list (You may extend this time if your task list contains more items than those provided in the example).
- Do not give the participant any assistance or feedback while conducting the experiment.
- Refer to the example task list. Important: note task # 10. This task needs to be included as the last task item. It will determine the participant's ability to follow instructions. You can change or add all other task items.
