Sex differences in duration judgments: A meta-analytic review

We quantitatively reviewed human sex differences in the magnitude and varia bility of duration judgments. Data from 4,794 females and 4,688 males yield ed 87 effect size estimates of magnitude and 28 of variability. The overall sex difference in duration judgment magnitude was small but statistically significant. It was moderated by whether study participants knew in advance (prospective paradigm) or only later (retrospective paradigm) that they wo uld be required to judge duration. Although prospective judgments showed no overall sex effect, some levels of moderator variables showed a small but statistically significant effect. Retrospective judgments showed a larger s ubjective-to-objective duration ratio for females than for males, and sever al variables moderated this effect. Females' judgments also showed more int ersubject variability than did males' judgments. Relative to males, females sustain attention to time more in the prospective paradigm and have better episodic memory in the retrospective paradigm.