Percephiaf and Motor Skills, 1991, 72, 435-439. @ Perceptual and Motor Skills 1991
MONTHLY FLUCTUATION I N TASK CONCENTRATION I N FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS THOMAS LORD AND KATHLEEN TAYLOR
lndiana University of Pennsylvania Summary.-50 university women with consistent and rhythmic menstrual cycles were given Golden's version of the Stroop color-word test to evaluate their concentra-' tion accuracy. 50 male undergraduates were also tested as a control sample. The participants took the Stroop test every seven days for four consecutive weeks to allow examination of whether change in the color and word naming activity occurred. A split-plot analysis of the variance of the scores gave a sigdicant difference for the sequence in which the tests were taken, the measures recited during the testing, and the sex of the respondent. When the values for the women were ordered to correspond to stages of their menstrual cycle, the over-all mean accuracy rose slowly to midcycle, then dropped as menses approached. This supports the hypothesis that the women's concentration was at the lowest level during the latter part of the monthly cycle. Women scored significantly higher on the color and word naming task on the Stroop test than men.
Most research on the menstrual cycle of females tends to indicate that, along with monthly chemical fluctuation in the body, women may experience fluctuations in personality and behavior (2, 6, 8). Early investigators labeled the fluctuations as "premenstrual tension," an all encompassing term to cover the behavioral changes experienced by most women at various times before menses. Contemporary researchers, however, have replaced the term "tension" with "syndrome" to cover the assortment of symptoms that occur prior to menstruation. Interestingly, studies on the matter find that women experience premenstrual symptoms to different extents. Some move through the episode without noticeable changes while others experience a craving for food, heaviness in their appendages, sudden mood changes, tiredness, tenderness to touch, and a variety of aches and pains ( 3 ) . Most researchers agree, however, that the symptoms can affect a woman's scholastic activity. I n a recent study, Norris and Sullivan (5) found that before menstrual flow women have a more difficult time memorizing information and organizing data. The researchers further found that during this time women tend to have trouble synthesizing cohesive sentences, and many experienced difficulty persisting on one subject. Women also may experience impairment of pattern discrimination and detection before menses (9), and some experience heightened sensitivity and feel distraught (4). Such conditions can lead to
'Address correspondence to T. Lord, Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705.
436
T. LORD & K. TAYLOR
distraction and inattentiveness and affect women's focus and concentration on new material. Some researchers have challenged the notion that a woman's attention is affected by premenstrual conditions (9, 10). They argue that, while chemical and physiological changes are apparent during the monthly cycle, psychological changes are modest in the majority of women. Task deliberation is, therefore, not a serious symptom of the premenstrual condition. To help establish whether the period just prior to menstruation affected women's ability to concentrate on a given task, this study was conducted. Approximately 200 women undergraduates from a middlesize eastern college were interviewed about their monthly cycles. Fifty women with consistent and rhythmic menstruation were selected from the initial population. An equal number of men were also selected to act as the control sample. None of the women were taking contraceptive medication during the time of the study. The subjects were tested every seven days for four consecutive weeks. To judge accuracy of concentration, Golden's version (1) of the Stroop color-word test was employed. Various versions of this test have been used for over half a century to study such topics as word meaning, hemispheric differences, and bilingual language organization. Golden's version of the Stroop stimuli consists of three pages of 100 items arranged in five columns. The first page consists of the words "Red," "Green," and "Blue" arranged in random sequence within the columns. The second page consists of 100 items, all written as "XXX," printed in red, green, or blue ink. The third page consists of the color names printed in colors that conflicted with the names. The two pages were blended item for item: item 1 named on Page 1 was printed in the color of item 1 on Page 2 to produce item 1 on Page 3 . I n the test, no word or color followed itself within any column and no color name matched the color in which it was printed. Each subject was tested individually. Starting with page one, the subject read aloud the words as fast as possible for 45 sec. as timed by a stopwatch. If all five columns were completed before the time limit, the subject began again with the first column. O n page 2, the colors of the "XXX" were read aloud in the same manner. O n page three, the ink color was read aloud, and the color name ignored. The subject could point to the items but could not cover any part of the item being read. The participant's accuracy was checked. If a mistake was made, the researcher would correct the mistake immediately, and testing continued without stopping. The test scoring yielded three basic values. The Word Score (W) was determined by the number of items completed on the first page. The Color Score (C) was found by adding the number of items completed on the
437
MONTHLY FLUCTUATION IN TASK CONCENTRATION
second page. The Color-Word Score (CW) was recorded from the number of items completed on the third page. Errors were not counted although they lowered the over-all score since subjects had to repeat such items. The results were examined in two ways: (1) the exact order in which the test was given and (2) a rearranged order so that the data values were re-expressed with reference to the number of days postmenstrual. The first value for a subject was taken less than seven days postmenstrual (mean - 1 day); the second less than 16 days postmenstrual (mean - 7 days); the third less than 20 days postmenstrual (mean - 14.7 days); and the fourth value was taken less than 27 days postmenstrual (mean - 21.6 days). The values for the men were assigned randomly using a random number table to establish days to coincide with women's cycles.
RESULTS A split-plot analysis of variance was run on the scores. Students' scores were checked against sex, measure, and session sequence (Table 1) Analysis indicated a statistically significant difference on the sequence in which the TABLE 1 ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE: TESTING FORORDEREFFECTS
df
MS
F
Mean Sex Error
1 1 11
969125.84 11118.89 1868.51
516.669 5.95"
Sequential Session Session x Sex Error
3 3 33
789.51 44.43 54.17
8.61* 0.82
Measure Measure x Sex Error
4 4 44
90309.06 285.45 165.86
544.46t 1.72
12 12 132
35.36 13.04 10.40
3.40t 1.25
Source
Session x Measure Session x Sex x Measure Error
Stroop test was taken, the measures recited during the session, and the sex of the respondent. Furthermore, statistical significance higher than .01 was recorded for the kind of test taken by the subject. This implies that the respondents had more trouble with one or two of the measures (color, word, or color word) than with others. I t further suggests that the pre- or postmenstrual stage and the sex of the participant are important considerations in concentration on subject matter. The mean values for each measure for the four sessions were calculated (Table 2). Interestingly, the results indicare that women generally have far
438
T. LORD & K. TAYLOR
TABLE 2 MEANSA N D STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF ITEMS CORRECT AS
st roo^
Measure
Week I M SD
.
Week 2 M SD
Words Female 119.6 0.6 120.6 104.3 Male 98.0" 0.4 Color Female 84.0 0.8 92.1 Male 73.5 0.4 77.7 Color-Word Female 54.9 0.6 60.0 Male 43.2 0.4 48.2 Grand Mean Female 79.5 0.7 81.2 Male 64.1 0.4 68.2 'Denotes significant differences between
A
FUNCTIONOF SEQUENTIAL TESTING
Week 3
Week 4
M
SD
M
SD
0.9 0.7
128.9 111.0
0.8 0.9
130.6 108.3*
0.5 0.6
96.1 77.0"
0.7 0.4
96.0 77.8*
0.4 0.5
64.7 49.8
0.7 0.5
66.7 51.3
0.6 0.5
86.2 70.8
0.7 0.6
Stroop Test
M
SD
87.0 74.9 males and females ( p = .05).
better color-naming skills than men. As far as is known, no previous research has reported such a difference. Of further interest, when the mean values for the women on the Stroop measurements were rearranged to correspond to stages of the menstrual cycle (Table 3), the means rose slowly to rnidcycle then dropped as menses approached. This pattern supports the notion that the order effects are attenuated for women. TABLE 3 MEANSAND STANDARD DEVLATIONS OF ITEMS CORRECTAS
Stroop Measure
Week 1
Week 2
M
M
SD
Words 121.8 Female 1.7 126.4 Male 107.3 0.9 104.2' Color Female 92.4 0.8 106.3 Male 76.8 0.6 76.5' Color-Word 60.5 0.7 64.2 Female Male 47.6 0.4 44.1' *Denotes significant differences between males
SD
A
FUNCTION OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE Week 3 M SD
2.1 0.9
125.9 103.3*
1.0 0.9
0.7 0.4
92.5 73.6
0.8 0.4
Week 4 M SD
0.4 0.9
62.0 0.5 50.1 0.6 and females ( p = .05).
Conclusion This study confirms a significant difference in performance for men and women on the Stroop test. Women scored significantly higher than men on word naming, color naming, and word-color sections of the test. Also women were least accurate on the test several days before menses in their monthly
MONTHLY FLUCTUATION IN TASK CONCENTRATION
439
cycle, which suggests that women's concentration on this task is lowest before the onset of menstruation. - -
REFERENCES A group form of the Stroop color and word test. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1975, 39, 386-388. HARGROVE, J. The incidence of tension in n gynecology clinic. Journal o/ Reproductive Medicine, 1982, 27, 721-725. LAUERSEN, N. H., & STRUCKANE, E. Premenstrual syndrome and you. New York: Simon & Schuscer, 1983. MONTGOMERY, J. D. Variations in perception of short-time intervals during menstrual cycle. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1977, 49, 740-942. NORRIS,R. V., & SULLIVAN, C. Premenstrual syndrome. New York: Rawan, 1983. REID, R. L. Premenstrual syndrome. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1781, 86, 137-186. STROOP,J. R. Studies in interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1935, 18, 622-643. VANTYLE, J., & SARGRAVES, R. Premenstrual syndrome: diagnosis, etiologies and therapy. Journal of Practical Nursing, 1988, 38(4), 19-27. WARD,M. M., STONE,S. C., & SANDMAN, C. A . Visual perception in women during the menstrual cyde. Physiological Behavior, 1977, 20, 239-243. WONG,W., & TONG,J. E. Menstrual cyde and control: hormonal effects of temporal discrimination. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1774, 37, 103-108.
1. GOLDEN,C. J. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 7. 10.
Accepted March 5, 1991.
MONTHLY FLUCTUATION I N TASK CONCENTRATION I N FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS THOMAS LORD AND KATHLEEN TAYLOR
lndiana University of Pennsylvania Summary.-50 university women with consistent and rhythmic menstrual cycles were given Golden's version of the Stroop color-word test to evaluate their concentra-' tion accuracy. 50 male undergraduates were also tested as a control sample. The participants took the Stroop test every seven days for four consecutive weeks to allow examination of whether change in the color and word naming activity occurred. A split-plot analysis of the variance of the scores gave a sigdicant difference for the sequence in which the tests were taken, the measures recited during the testing, and the sex of the respondent. When the values for the women were ordered to correspond to stages of their menstrual cycle, the over-all mean accuracy rose slowly to midcycle, then dropped as menses approached. This supports the hypothesis that the women's concentration was at the lowest level during the latter part of the monthly cycle. Women scored significantly higher on the color and word naming task on the Stroop test than men.
Most research on the menstrual cycle of females tends to indicate that, along with monthly chemical fluctuation in the body, women may experience fluctuations in personality and behavior (2, 6, 8). Early investigators labeled the fluctuations as "premenstrual tension," an all encompassing term to cover the behavioral changes experienced by most women at various times before menses. Contemporary researchers, however, have replaced the term "tension" with "syndrome" to cover the assortment of symptoms that occur prior to menstruation. Interestingly, studies on the matter find that women experience premenstrual symptoms to different extents. Some move through the episode without noticeable changes while others experience a craving for food, heaviness in their appendages, sudden mood changes, tiredness, tenderness to touch, and a variety of aches and pains ( 3 ) . Most researchers agree, however, that the symptoms can affect a woman's scholastic activity. I n a recent study, Norris and Sullivan (5) found that before menstrual flow women have a more difficult time memorizing information and organizing data. The researchers further found that during this time women tend to have trouble synthesizing cohesive sentences, and many experienced difficulty persisting on one subject. Women also may experience impairment of pattern discrimination and detection before menses (9), and some experience heightened sensitivity and feel distraught (4). Such conditions can lead to
'Address correspondence to T. Lord, Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705.
436
T. LORD & K. TAYLOR
distraction and inattentiveness and affect women's focus and concentration on new material. Some researchers have challenged the notion that a woman's attention is affected by premenstrual conditions (9, 10). They argue that, while chemical and physiological changes are apparent during the monthly cycle, psychological changes are modest in the majority of women. Task deliberation is, therefore, not a serious symptom of the premenstrual condition. To help establish whether the period just prior to menstruation affected women's ability to concentrate on a given task, this study was conducted. Approximately 200 women undergraduates from a middlesize eastern college were interviewed about their monthly cycles. Fifty women with consistent and rhythmic menstruation were selected from the initial population. An equal number of men were also selected to act as the control sample. None of the women were taking contraceptive medication during the time of the study. The subjects were tested every seven days for four consecutive weeks. To judge accuracy of concentration, Golden's version (1) of the Stroop color-word test was employed. Various versions of this test have been used for over half a century to study such topics as word meaning, hemispheric differences, and bilingual language organization. Golden's version of the Stroop stimuli consists of three pages of 100 items arranged in five columns. The first page consists of the words "Red," "Green," and "Blue" arranged in random sequence within the columns. The second page consists of 100 items, all written as "XXX," printed in red, green, or blue ink. The third page consists of the color names printed in colors that conflicted with the names. The two pages were blended item for item: item 1 named on Page 1 was printed in the color of item 1 on Page 2 to produce item 1 on Page 3 . I n the test, no word or color followed itself within any column and no color name matched the color in which it was printed. Each subject was tested individually. Starting with page one, the subject read aloud the words as fast as possible for 45 sec. as timed by a stopwatch. If all five columns were completed before the time limit, the subject began again with the first column. O n page 2, the colors of the "XXX" were read aloud in the same manner. O n page three, the ink color was read aloud, and the color name ignored. The subject could point to the items but could not cover any part of the item being read. The participant's accuracy was checked. If a mistake was made, the researcher would correct the mistake immediately, and testing continued without stopping. The test scoring yielded three basic values. The Word Score (W) was determined by the number of items completed on the first page. The Color Score (C) was found by adding the number of items completed on the
437
MONTHLY FLUCTUATION IN TASK CONCENTRATION
second page. The Color-Word Score (CW) was recorded from the number of items completed on the third page. Errors were not counted although they lowered the over-all score since subjects had to repeat such items. The results were examined in two ways: (1) the exact order in which the test was given and (2) a rearranged order so that the data values were re-expressed with reference to the number of days postmenstrual. The first value for a subject was taken less than seven days postmenstrual (mean - 1 day); the second less than 16 days postmenstrual (mean - 7 days); the third less than 20 days postmenstrual (mean - 14.7 days); and the fourth value was taken less than 27 days postmenstrual (mean - 21.6 days). The values for the men were assigned randomly using a random number table to establish days to coincide with women's cycles.
RESULTS A split-plot analysis of variance was run on the scores. Students' scores were checked against sex, measure, and session sequence (Table 1) Analysis indicated a statistically significant difference on the sequence in which the TABLE 1 ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE: TESTING FORORDEREFFECTS
df
MS
F
Mean Sex Error
1 1 11
969125.84 11118.89 1868.51
516.669 5.95"
Sequential Session Session x Sex Error
3 3 33
789.51 44.43 54.17
8.61* 0.82
Measure Measure x Sex Error
4 4 44
90309.06 285.45 165.86
544.46t 1.72
12 12 132
35.36 13.04 10.40
3.40t 1.25
Source
Session x Measure Session x Sex x Measure Error
Stroop test was taken, the measures recited during the session, and the sex of the respondent. Furthermore, statistical significance higher than .01 was recorded for the kind of test taken by the subject. This implies that the respondents had more trouble with one or two of the measures (color, word, or color word) than with others. I t further suggests that the pre- or postmenstrual stage and the sex of the participant are important considerations in concentration on subject matter. The mean values for each measure for the four sessions were calculated (Table 2). Interestingly, the results indicare that women generally have far
438
T. LORD & K. TAYLOR
TABLE 2 MEANSA N D STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF ITEMS CORRECT AS
st roo^
Measure
Week I M SD
.
Week 2 M SD
Words Female 119.6 0.6 120.6 104.3 Male 98.0" 0.4 Color Female 84.0 0.8 92.1 Male 73.5 0.4 77.7 Color-Word Female 54.9 0.6 60.0 Male 43.2 0.4 48.2 Grand Mean Female 79.5 0.7 81.2 Male 64.1 0.4 68.2 'Denotes significant differences between
A
FUNCTIONOF SEQUENTIAL TESTING
Week 3
Week 4
M
SD
M
SD
0.9 0.7
128.9 111.0
0.8 0.9
130.6 108.3*
0.5 0.6
96.1 77.0"
0.7 0.4
96.0 77.8*
0.4 0.5
64.7 49.8
0.7 0.5
66.7 51.3
0.6 0.5
86.2 70.8
0.7 0.6
Stroop Test
M
SD
87.0 74.9 males and females ( p = .05).
better color-naming skills than men. As far as is known, no previous research has reported such a difference. Of further interest, when the mean values for the women on the Stroop measurements were rearranged to correspond to stages of the menstrual cycle (Table 3), the means rose slowly to rnidcycle then dropped as menses approached. This pattern supports the notion that the order effects are attenuated for women. TABLE 3 MEANSAND STANDARD DEVLATIONS OF ITEMS CORRECTAS
Stroop Measure
Week 1
Week 2
M
M
SD
Words 121.8 Female 1.7 126.4 Male 107.3 0.9 104.2' Color Female 92.4 0.8 106.3 Male 76.8 0.6 76.5' Color-Word 60.5 0.7 64.2 Female Male 47.6 0.4 44.1' *Denotes significant differences between males
SD
A
FUNCTION OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE Week 3 M SD
2.1 0.9
125.9 103.3*
1.0 0.9
0.7 0.4
92.5 73.6
0.8 0.4
Week 4 M SD
0.4 0.9
62.0 0.5 50.1 0.6 and females ( p = .05).
Conclusion This study confirms a significant difference in performance for men and women on the Stroop test. Women scored significantly higher than men on word naming, color naming, and word-color sections of the test. Also women were least accurate on the test several days before menses in their monthly
MONTHLY FLUCTUATION IN TASK CONCENTRATION
439
cycle, which suggests that women's concentration on this task is lowest before the onset of menstruation. - -
REFERENCES A group form of the Stroop color and word test. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1975, 39, 386-388. HARGROVE, J. The incidence of tension in n gynecology clinic. Journal o/ Reproductive Medicine, 1982, 27, 721-725. LAUERSEN, N. H., & STRUCKANE, E. Premenstrual syndrome and you. New York: Simon & Schuscer, 1983. MONTGOMERY, J. D. Variations in perception of short-time intervals during menstrual cycle. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1977, 49, 740-942. NORRIS,R. V., & SULLIVAN, C. Premenstrual syndrome. New York: Rawan, 1983. REID, R. L. Premenstrual syndrome. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1781, 86, 137-186. STROOP,J. R. Studies in interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1935, 18, 622-643. VANTYLE, J., & SARGRAVES, R. Premenstrual syndrome: diagnosis, etiologies and therapy. Journal of Practical Nursing, 1988, 38(4), 19-27. WARD,M. M., STONE,S. C., & SANDMAN, C. A . Visual perception in women during the menstrual cyde. Physiological Behavior, 1977, 20, 239-243. WONG,W., & TONG,J. E. Menstrual cyde and control: hormonal effects of temporal discrimination. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1774, 37, 103-108.
1. GOLDEN,C. J. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 7. 10.
Accepted March 5, 1991.
