Sex-typing of the Water-Level Task: There is More than Meets the Eye

Abstract

It has often been reported that male subjects surpass female subjects in the mastery of gravitational horizontality in the water-level task, although it has yet to be established whether or not these subjects perceive it as calling for gender-specific abilities. In the present study, it was predicted that more subjects would judge this task to be masculine than either feminine or neutral. Male and female undergraduates were given a description of the task and were asked to provide judgments about its sex-linkage. They were then asked to state the reasons for their judgment. and finally they were required to perform the task. Contrary to expectation. it was found that a significant majority of the subjects considered the task to be neutral. The task was perceived as requiring cognitive abilities which differ across individuals but which are equivalent for both genders. However, the male subjects outperformed the female subjects. Female subjects failed in the same proportion in two age categories. 18 to 27 and 31 to 46 years. The predominance of an egalitarian perception was attributed to cultural differences between the present subjects and the American samples from previously reported studies linking a male stereotype with spatial and scientific tasks. The absence of covariation between task perception and actual performance weakens the possibility that the women's lesser proficiency is connected with their belief that they are not competent enough to master a task considered to be suited to masculine aptitudes or knowledge.