Gender Research: Exploring the Differences Between Men and Women
By Dr. Les Parrott | Co-Author: Dr. Leslie Parrott | Submitted On November 09, 2010
Have you ever wondered why a man can seemingly read a map blindfolded but can't find his own socks? The reason may be found in his genetic make-up. Gender research is discovering that men and women actually perceive reality differently. In one university experiment that tested the differences between men and women, students were blindfolded while an experimenter who served as a guide walked them through a complex maze of tunnels that run beneath campus buildings. After traversing this maze, women were asked to locate a familiar college building. Nearly every woman in the gender research experiment was uncertain and unable to locate it. Men, on the other hand, had relatively little trouble with the task. In spite of all the subterranean twists and turns, men tended to retain a firm sense of direction and, with a kind of internal compass, were far more likely to identify the location of the building - even after walking through the maze, blindfolded. Chalk one up for the male species.
But before you put all your money on men, consider another gender research experiment. In this one, students were asked to wait in a small room with a cluttered desk while the experimenter "got something ready." The students thought they were simply waiting for the experiment to begin, but this actually was the experiment. After two minutes, the student was asked to describe in detail the waiting room from memory. Men, it turns out, didn't do well on the test, and were able to remember very little. Most men were barely able to describe much of the room in clear and accurate detail. They often missed major objects located on a desk right in front of them. Women, on the other hand, could go on and on with precise descriptions of the room's contents. In fact, women proved 70 percent better than men at recalling complex patterns...