Traditional sex attitudes and discrepant ability measures in college women.

Abstract

The hypothesis was investigated that girls avoid involvement in mathematics because of its masculine character. Girls grouped in the following ability score patterns were the dependent variables: 40 with low English and low mathematics, 48 with low English and average mathematics, 50 with average English and low mathematics, 50 with average English and average mathematics, 63 with average English and high mathematics, 50 with high English and average mathematics, and 50 with high English and high mathematics. Independent variables were personality factor scores Discriminant analysis showed significant differences on 2 personality dimensions. The original hypothesis was supported in a cross-validation study.

Factors Associated With the Selection of Advanced Academic Mathematics Courses by Girls in High School

“…However, generalizations from this study are hazardous because of small sample sizes. Elton and Rose (1967) found that girls who had higher mathematical than verbal scores on the American College Test (ACT) had more theoretical and less aesthetic (i.e., more masculine) interests as measured by the Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI), and that girls with higher verbal than mathematical scores on the ACT had more cultural and artistic (i.e., more feminine) interests.…”

Attitudes Toward Mathematics

“…Thus, as in the Carlsmith (1964) study, masculine identification, or masculine role, was a predictor of large differences between verbal and mathematical scores on a college entrance examination. The findings of Elton and Rose (1967), however, are perhaps more easily accepted and interpreted than those of Carlsmith, because they do riot require that researchers reach back to an event in a person's early childhood as an explanation of the difference between his verbal and mathematical scores on a college admissions test. Many of the items on the OPI concern interests in reading, science, and other verbal-related and mathematics-related pursuits.…”

Brothers Under the Pin

“…The weights for the principal axis factor analysis of the OPI can be found in Elton and Rose ( 1967) . TABLE 1 presents the group means for actives and pledges for eight fraternities.…”