Sex differences and lateral specialization of hemispheric functioning

The study was designed to explore whether male-female differences in the EEG ratio of the left hemisphere to the right hemisphere could be found with general tasks which more closely approximate normal activities. Six males and six females performed tasks chosen to utilize one hemisphere of the brain more than the other. In all, there were four right hemispheric tasks and four left hemispheric tasks. The ratios of EEG power measured from the temporal lobes were statistically significant for the males between these tasks but not for the females. The results suggest that males and females process the same environmental event with different patterns of brain activity as reflected by EEG.