Sex, temperament, and language-related differences in examination performance: A study of multiple-choice and written-answer tests

Arousability theory of Robinson predicts sex differences in temperament and in verbal ability and cognitive processing. Related hypotheses were tested in a sample of 73 Kuwaiti 3rd-year medical students by analysis of data ob tained from administration of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and fro m questions requiring written answers or multiple-choice answers in an exam ination in psychology. Principal components analysis yielded a large sex di fference in word production and indicated that variance of written answers loaded on two uncorrelated "linguistic" and "knowledge/cognition" component s. Sex differences in temperament were also manifest but these contributed little to the observed differences in examination performance. Statistical tests indicated no sex difference in multiple-choice performance, but the w omen produced more words than the men and did better on the written-answer questions. In addition, there were substantial and statistically significan t correlations between word production and performance on both types of tes t. The results confirmed predictions from arousability theory that the mult iple-choice questions provided a more equitable basis than short written an swers for examining classes of men and women in medical school. Written ans wers for questions could penalise students who are shown to be less profici ent in the use of English as a second language.