Reflections on Paint-Chart Test, 7 April

We always assume that gender differences should be very obvious and evident between the two sexes and more often than not we let these gender stereotypes determine our behaviour rather than something which is socially constructed by us. We feel that for the male sex, they should display masculine features such as being very straightforward and to the point while addressing issues or describing objects and they tend to give shorter and more factual answers using concrete nouns. The female sex however is expected to be more emotive in her expression, giving more evaluation and emotion rather than description.

The paint-chart test was an experiment done to test out if these traits are true and present in the masculine and feminine gender. And as seen from our class results, we come to realise that these stereotypes of the society were not exactly true.

It turned out that the girls in the class gave very short and one worded answers while describing the colour. Nouns such as "yellowish, grayish, magenta, teal, olive" were used. There were however some evaluation present when the girls used adjectives such as "ugly, not nice etc". However, majority of the girls had tried to name the colours as accurately as possible.

The boys however gave longer answers that were more emotive in description and they also tried to use objects to describe the colours. "Rose, Eugene's spectacles, banana, brick-red precipitate" were used. Also, their answers were more aimed at providing comic relief and humour rather than to accurately describe the colours they see.

Therefore, the paint-chart test that we did in class today goes to show that gender-stereotyping is therefore not so evident between the two sexes afterall. There is still a difference in the manner of description whereby the girls tried to be as accurate as possible using name of colours to describe while the boys tend to create a link between the colours and the objects and also emotive vocabulary. However, as the boys tried to be funny and create humour in their answers rather than to write down what they truly think, the results of the experiment may not be as accurate as well.

Samantha, Rui Ting, Hong Xiu, Shi Hua

09S07A