Gender Differences in Cognition

Among Older Adults in China

HISHAMUDDIN BIN ABDUL RAHIM

AYSHA SAADIAH
NUR FAEZAH BINTI MAHMUD

MH132057
MHA132001
MH 132067

INTRODUCTION
This paper talk about the gender differences in cognitive ability in
China, using a new sample of middle aged and older Chinese
respondents.
Respondents are 45 years old and older
Came from 2 different district which are:
- Zheijiang (a high growth industrialized province)
- Gansu (largely agricultural and poor province)

Result & Findings

Measures two different dimensions of adult
cognition
- episodic memory
- intact mental status.
Chinese women score much lower than do Chinese
men, a gender difference that grows among older
Chinese cohorts.
- They found that cognition is more closely link to
mean community resources than to family
resources.
- In traditional poor Chinese communities, they favor
boys than girls.

 Gender differences in cognitive ability have been steadily decreasing

across birth cohorts as the economy of China grew rapidly.
For young adults, there is no longer gender disparity in cognitive
ability.

Gender Differences in Cognition by Age in Chinese Sage

Survey
Female

Male

Female-Male

25~34

7.494

7.447

0.047

35`~44

6.671

6.612

0.059

45~54

6.020

6.013

0.007

55~64

5.539

5.609

-0.069

65~74

4.801

5.033

-0.232

3.900
Digit Span Mean

4.165

-0.265

Female

Male

Female-Male

25~34

16.224

17.016

-0.792

35`~44

14.400

15.453

-1.053

45~54

13.210

13.862

-0.652

55~64

12.511

13.639

-1.129

65~74

11.532

12.720

-1.188

75+

Verbal Fluency Score

Female

Male

Female-male

25~35

16.224

17.016

-0.792

35~44

14.400

15.453

-1.053

45~54

13.210

13.862

-0.652

55~64

12.511

13.639

-1.129

65~74

11.532

12.720

-1.188

75+

9.957

11.340

-1.383

Title
Sex Differences
in Cognitive
Abilities Test
Scores: A UK
National Picture
(2006 / UK)

Author (s)

Method

Steve Strand, Ian A standardized

J. Deary and
Cognitive Ability
Pauline Smith
Test (CAT3) from
300 000 students
(11 12 years
old), close to
50% of the total
population of
that age

Findings
Boys are overrepresented in the highest and lowest
marks categories while the girls are represented fairly
in the scores.
Boys tend to excel quantitative / visuo spatial related
subjects while girls have the tendency to excel in
writing related subjects
There is a danger of stereotyping boys as
problematic and it can be said that generally, each
gender has the ability to excel in certain subjects
depending on the nature of the subject

Title

Gender
Differences in
Adult World
Learning
(2011/USA)

Author (s)

Method

Findings

Margarita
Kaushankaya,
Viorica Marian
and Jeewon Yoo

34 femals and 34
males
(Northwestern
undergrads)
monolingual
native English
speakers

Male prodecural memory system (computing the

past tense)
Female declarative memory system (retrieve from
memory)

Tested on
phonologically
familiar
(synonyms) and
unfamiliar novel
words (new
words)

Both genders exhibits different type of memory

recollection procedure and when it comes to learning
new words, females have the advantage

Female perform better on both sets of tests but the

difference is smaller in unfamiliar novel words

Title

Author (s)

Method

Findings

Learning Styles
And Gender
Differences Of
USM Distance
Learners
(2014 /Malaysia)

Siti Hajar Halili ,

Zahra Naimie ,
Saedah Siraj ,
Rana Ahmed
Abuzaid & Chin
Hai Leng

394 working
adults
undergraduates

Female students are more likely to have the

competitive characteristics and are more willing to
participate in academic activities

Questionnaire
based on
GrashaReichmann
Student Learning
Styles Scale

Male students seem to exhibits the tendency to avoid

the teaching and learning process
Female students showed a higher degree of
independency as compared to their male
counterparts

Title

The Relationship
Between
Language
Learning
Strategies,
Gender,
Proficiency and
Self-efficacy
Beliefs: A Study
of ELT Learners
in Turkey
(2010 / Turkey)

Author (s)

Cevdet Ylmaz

Method

Findings

140 English
undergrads (117
females and 23
males)

Out of the six learning strategies derived from the SILL

test, only Memory Strategy and Affective shows
significant difference between male and female.

Questionnaires
were based on
the SILL test.

There is a difference in how the recollection of

memory works between the two genders. Females
tend to follow the declarative memory system while
the males are more towards the procedural memory
system.
Female students also have a higher tendency towards
the Affection learning strategy (using music to

Title

Author

Method

Findings

Measuring gender
differences
in cognitive functioning
(Hong Kong)

Kevin Downing, Sui-Wah

Chan
Woo-Kyung Downing
Theresa Kwong, Tsz-Fung
Lam

Quantitative
- Learning and study
strategies inventory
(LASSI)
- First year
undergraduates from
the City University of
Hong Kong 2006
(Participants)

- Gender differences in
cognitive functioning
and achievement do not
always favour one
sex
Males outperform
females on tests
of visuo-spatial ability,
and mathematical
reasoning whereas
females do better on
tests involving
memory and language
use.

Title

Author

Method

Findings

Gender differences in
cognitive functions and
influence of sex
hormones (Spain)

A. Torres
E. Gmez-Gil
A. Vidal
O. Puig
T. Boget
M. Salamero

Systematically search of
related studies

- Women outperform
men on verbal fluency,
perceptual speed tasks,
fine motor skills, verbal
memory
and verbal learning.
- Men outperform
woman in visouspatial
ability, mathematical
problem solving and
visual memory

Title

Author

Method

Findings

Gender differences and

changes in cognitive
abilities across the adult
life span (USA)

Scott B. Maitland
Robert C. Intrieri
K. Warner Schaie
Sherry L. Willis

Quantitative
- Randomly sampled
participants

- Women outperform
men on perceptual
speed and verbal recall.
- Men outperform
woman in spatial
orientation

Title

Author

Method

Findings

Gender differences and

cognition among older
adults (USA)

-Thomas D.Parson
-Albert R. Rizzo
-Cheryl Van Der Zaag
-Jocelyn S. McGee
-J.Galen Buckwalter

Quantitative
(15 males and 15
females)
Ages of 65 and 92

- Male are at advantage

at the visouspatial tasks
among older adults

CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
We can say that regardless of the
region, there are empirical proofs
that in terms of cognitive and
learning, both genders exhibit
different strategies in terms of
memory
and
the
cognitive
functions and generally speaking,
each gender seems to have their
own field of specialties, with the
females more towards the writing,
verbal and memory while the males
are more efficient when it comes to
visuo spatials and quantitative
matters. The argument of which
one is better will be endless and
therefore, it will be more suitable
to say that each gender has their
own field that they generally excel
at.