Task Complexity Modulates Gender Differences in Reaction Time: An Experimental Study

This study examined gender differences in reaction time (RT) under simple and choice experimental conditions among 100 undergraduate students (49 males, 51 females) recruited via convenience sampling from different areas of Karachi. Using a between-groups experimental design, participants completed either a simple RT task (identifying a single target color among six alternatives) or a choice RT task (selecting any color according to preference), with response latency recorded manually by stopwatch. Independent-samples t-tests revealed no significant difference in RT between the simple and choice conditions. Gender comparisons, however, showed a condition-specific pattern: in the simple condition, females responded significantly faster than males, whereas no significant gender difference emerged in the choice condition. These findings suggest that gender-related differences in RT are not uniform but depend on task demands, with the additional decision-making component of choice tasks appearing to attenuate the gender gap observed under simpler conditions. Methodological limitations and directions for replication are discussed.