Sex Differences and Repeated Choice in Retarded and Non-Retarded Subjects

Abstract

Normal and educable mentally retarded Ss of several ages were tested for repetition choice preference to determine whether ability level or sex were determinants of repetition of previously completed or interrupted tasks. For normal and EMR boys, as CA and MA increased so did the tendency to repeat interrupted tasks. A curvilinear relationship between repetition choice and CA was found for normal and EMR girls. A sex difference became apparent between ages 11 and 17, with males choosing to repeat interrupted tasks in increasing proportions and females reverting to an increased preference for previously completed tasks. For the total sample, males repeated significantly more interrupted tasks than did females.

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