Abstract
This study examined sex differences in an attentional function that selects objects or perceptual groups as units, by using event-related potentials (ERPs). Twelve males and females were required to detect infrequent targets at attended locations for bilateral letters. There were conditions where the letters were surrounded by a large oval (common condition) and by a shape switched two halves divided the oval (uncommon condition). There were no statistical significant sex differences in behavioral measures. In contrast, in ERP attention effects (differences in ERPs at hemispheres contralateral and ipsilateral to attended visual fields), only females showed a more negative deflection at early P1 latency range (70-110 ms) and a more positive deflection at early N1 latency range (130-160 ms) for the uncommon versus common conditions. The results suggest that task-irrelevant object structures guide attention at early stages of processing in females.
