title: A male advantage for spatial and object but not verbal working memory using the n-back task.
abstract: Sex-related differences have been reported for performance and neural substrates on some working memory measures that carry a high cognitive load, including the popular n-back neuroimaging paradigm. Despite some evidence of a sex effect on the task, the influence of sex on performance represents a potential confound in neuroimaging research. The present study investigated sex-related differences in verbal, spatial, and common object versions of the high cognitive load "n-back" working memory task. Eighteen male and 18 female undergraduates completed all 3 versions of the task. A mixed ANOVA, with Sex (male and female) as the between-subjects factor and Condition (verbal, spatial, and object) as the within-subjects repeated measure revealed that males were significantly more accurate than females on the spatial and object versions of the n-back task and performed equivalently to females on the verbal version of the task. Although the expected female advantage for verbal working memory was not found using this effortful n-back task, these results support a male advantage for high cognitive load spatial and object working memory. Future research should take into account the influence of sex on performance of the n-back task, and examine sex-related differences in working memory using other paradigms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. lisa.lejbak@usask.ca
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lejbak
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crossley
authors.forename: Mirna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrbancic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*