# Gender-dependent color discrimination ability and speed–accuracy tradeoff: insights from ND-100 hue tests

## TL;DR

This study shows that females perform better than males in color discrimination under moderate time pressure, but both genders perform similarly under extreme time pressure.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel triple-mechanism framework to explain gender differences in color discrimination under time pressure.

## Key findings

- Females outperformed males in color discrimination under moderate time limits (90–120 s).
- Performance differences between genders disappeared under extreme time pressure (75 s).
- Both genders showed a speed–accuracy tradeoff, with females declining more sharply under high pressure.

## Abstract

Time pressure influences perceptual decisions, but its effects on speed—accuracy tradeoff (SAT) and decision processes in color discrimination remains poorly understood, particularly regarding potential gender differences.

To systematically examine how varying time pressures influence color discrimination performance, SATs, and underlying decision processes in males and females.

A total of 356 university students (18–28 years) completed the ND-100 hue test under four time conditions (120, 105, 90, and 75 s). Each participant performed up to four trials to reduce task unfamiliarity effects. The study introduced three methodological innovations: (1) the first use of a 75-s time limit to model high-pressure conditions; (2) a fine-grained range of time limits (75–120 s) to capture detailed performance changes; and (3) multiple trials per participant to minimize learning and unfamiliarity effects.

Under moderate time limits (90–120 s), females outperformed males by 19.889–29.926 points in total error scores. At the most stringent time limit (75 s), no significant gender difference was observed (p = 0.918), indicating convergence of performance under extreme time pressure. Both sexes exhibited a clear SAT, with females’ performance declining more sharply at 75 s, suggesting differential reliance on analytical processing, experience-based strategies, and decision-threshold adjustments.

The observed effects are interpreted within an integrative triple-mechanism framework, in which time pressure modulates the dynamic interplay among: (1) biological predispositions (e.g., photopigment variation, P-cell density differences, and interhemispheric connectivity differences); (2) experience-dependent perceptual plasticity; and (3) adaptive cognitive strategies for decision making.

This study provides the first systematic evidence of gender differences in color discrimination performance under extreme temporal constraints, supports an integrative biological—experiential—cognitive model of time-pressured perception, and offers practical implications for training, task design, and interface development in real-world contexts requiring rapid color-based decisions.