BACKGROUND

1. Investigation of intra-individual response of the stress hormone cortisol to varying educational environments (single vs. mixed sex groupings) S. CHESSER, S. FORBES, M. AHUJA, M. DHANASEKARAN, & A. J. GUARINO METHODS Participants The sample for this study was comprised of nine participants (5 males and 4 females). These participants were exposed to both a mixed and single sex environs while completing a jigsaw puzzle. Procedure Saliva samples were extracted to establish individual cortisol base line prior to introduction of mental tasks. Saliva samples were also taken after 30 minutes in the task environment. ELISA kits, based on the principle of competitive binding, were used to assess free cortisol in saliva samples. BACKGROUND Changes in cortisol levels serve as a reliable indicator of stimulus response. Cortisol is the most potent glucocorticoid produced and secreted by the adrenal cortex in response to activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We investigated intra-individual cortical responses under a single and mixed sex protocol during a cognitive task. Our efforts were driven by an interest in connecting the long standing debate over co-education vs. single sex education with a consideration of physiological processes. The assumptions of cognitive sciences that mental events are structured informational manipulations of physical systems in the brain (Tooby & Cosmides, 2005; Weiner, 1948) served as the theoretical foundation for this study. RESULTS Results of the mixed ANOVA indicated a statistically significant time main effect, F(3, 21) = 4.71, p = .012, η2 = .40 (a large effect). Participants’ responses in Time3 were statistically significantly greater than Time1 or Time2. There were no statistically significant differences between Time3 and Time4. Additionally, there were no statistically significant sex main effects or interaction effects. PURPOSE The purpose of this research was to assess if the sex of the partner is relevant to a response, the intra-individual differences in attention, measured physiologically, should be evidenced among varying sex groupings. If there are no differences, researchers cannot empirically state that sex rises to the level of a relevant environmental stimulus during the tasks under investigations for the individual. CONCLUSION The results of this research provide initial physiological evidence that sex (mixed or single) in a cooperative group is predictive of intra-individual cortisol response. The relevant issue for educators is whether this response is adaptive or not. For instance, in normal concentrations, cortisol cooperates with adrenaline and enhances learning and memory formation while elevated levels can trigger more primitive survival needs.