Math-fact retrieval as the cognitive mechanism underlying gender differences in math test performance

Males from select populations receive better scores on standardized math ac hievement tests than females. The research reported in this article evaluat es the hypothesis that the reason for these differences is that males are f aster at retrieving basic math facts. Studies 1-3 demonstrate that math-fac t retrieval predicts performance on math achievement tests with students in grades 5-8 and in college. Studies 4-6 show that males and females in grad es 2-8 and in college have different patterns of math-fact retrieval perfor mance and that males at the high positive end of the retrieval distribution are faster than comparable females. Study 5 also demonstrates that math-fa ct retrieval varies in three populations (Anglo-American, Chinese-American, Hong Kong Chinese) and that speed of retrieval improves with practice. Stu dies 7-9 tested the hypothesis that males ate faster than females on retrie val task in general. Study 7 showed that there were no gender differences o n simple retrieval tasks, and Studies 8 and 9 showed that females were slig htly faster than males on verbal-processing tasks. The General Discussion i ndicates that the math-fact retrieval hypothesis is consistent with previou s research. It also relates the math-fact retrieval hypothesis to theories of cognitive performance and introduces the practice and engagement hypothe sis. This hypothesis explains the origin of gender differences in math and reading and relates those differences to the existing literature on gender differences in academic performance. The article concludes with a descripti on of needed future research and a discussion of the educational implicatio ns of the math-fact retrieval hypothesis. (C) 1999 Academic Press.