A new study led by Daniel Hajovsky, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of South Dakota, found that cognitive ability influences on writing differ between males and females in grades 1-4 and across different grade levels (grades 1-12).
Dr. Hajovsky says it is plausible that observed sex differences on phenotypic measures of achievement may be due to sex differences in processing speed and language-based variables. For example, he said females tend to produce more total words when writing and therefore may be more efficient at sentence formation.
“Several explanations may account for this early sex difference in writing,” Dr. Hajovsky said. “For example, writing may be seen as a female-oriented task and therefore more encouraged for females relative to males. If so, this may also explain why females tend to spend more time, on average, engaging in writing compared to that of males.”
The full study, “Cognitive Ability Influences on Written Expression: Evidence for Developmental and Sex-Based Differences in School-Age Children,” was published in the Journal of School Psychology. It may be accessed here.