Comparison of Expressed Self-Concepts of Highly Skilled Males and Females concerning Motor Performance

Abstract

The resulcs of a previous study by the authors ( 2 ) disclosed that there were significant differences between males' and females' expressed concepts of self in performance of selected motor skills. The population in this earlier investigation contained both skilled and non-skilled performers. Scanning the data obtained from this population suggested that the so-called highly skilled performers rated themselves more favorably than did the lesser skilled Ss. Furthermore, these data suggested that a study delimiced to investigation of only highly skilled performers might result in obtaining similar self-racings from females and males in such a group. METHODCriteria were established for classifying Ss as highly skilled as follows: MALES, ( a ) awarded a college varsity letter from a 4-year institution and ( b ) scored at better than the 60th weighted T score on the Larson Motor Abilicy Battery. FEMALES, ( a ) nationally ranked competitors in badminton, swimming, tennis, track and field, softball, or volleyball and ( b ) scored ac becter than the 60th weighted T score on the Scott General Motor Ability Battery.Thirty-six males and 49 females, ranging in age from 18 to 23 yr., who met these crireria were voluntary Ss for this study. All male Ss and 18 female Ss were college students enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles in the Fall semester, 1961. The remaining females were enrolled concurrently in one of several neighboring four-year institutions. Each S performed a sequence of four motor skills: ( a ) run, ( b ) catch, ( c ) throw, and ( d ) standing broad jump. N o record of his achievement in these performances was made. Upon completion of the sequence each S responded to a Perception Checklist (1 ) . AV (Attitude Valence) scores were obtained for each S on each skill by adding algebraically the number of plus items and the number of minus items selected by S in his response to the checklist. These AV scores represent his self rating for each motor skill performance. AV scores for each skill were then totaled for each group and mean AV scores were computed for the motor skill sequence for males and for females. The r ratio was used to determine whether there were differences between the males and females in their mean self-ratings of their performances of the motor '

Throwing Like a Girl

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Sex discrimination counseling.

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“…Females of all ages typically devalue their own competence, in comparison both with their actual abilities and with male self-evaluations. These unrealistically low self-assessments occur in such diverse areas as athletic performance (Clifton & Smith, 1963), academic ability (Baird, 1973;Crandall, Katovsky, & Preston, 1963;Wylie, 1963) and in evaluations of other women's professional competence (Bernard, 1966;Goldberg, 1968).…”