Gender differences in selective attention: Evidence from a spatial orienting task

Abstract

Selective attention is considered a central component of cognitive functioning. While a number of studies have demonstrated gender differences in cognitive tasks, there has been little research conducted on gender differences in selective attention. To test for gender differences in selective attention we tested 80 undergraduates using a spatial orienting task with an endogenous (centrally located arrow) cue. While males and females showed similar benefits across four cue-target intervals, females showed greater costs at 500 ms stimulus-onset asynchrony. The potential role of an inhibitory deficit in males is proposed as a possible explanation for these results.