Dexterity, hand-eye coordination and patience are essential in developing fine motor skills. Examples are reading, talking, writing, drawing, sewing and cooking. Females perform better at fine motor activities because females are more patient. At a young age boys have a tendency to be more active than girls, thus having less tolerance to sit still long enough to complete fine motor activities in one sitting. This characteristic trickles into adulthood. Socially females are encouraged to thrive at these activities to compete in life.
After puberty boys are predisposed to excel in gross motor skills like playing various sports and lifting things sooner than girls. During adolescence, boys develop a genetic advantage because their testosterone levels increase; girls experience a decrease in their testosterone levels and an increase in their estrogen levels. For example, when an adult male and female compete against each other in an organized sport such as basketball after years of equal coaching and physical training, the male is going to overpower the female. Testosterone makes males taller, stronger and faster giving them a physical advantage over females.
Cognitive activities are related to how well a person applies their fine motor skills. Academic intelligence and problem solving abilities are aspects of cognitive abilities. Females will tell a person how to complete an assignment, while males are more apt to show a person how to complete a project. Males perform better at spatial tasks than females. However, females surpass males at visual tasking. For example, males are better at using hand controllers used to play video games. Males have a quicker reaction time because they can see and match dimensional objects faster. On the other hand, females fare better at games with perceptual speed. Games like puzzles and academic activities like proofreading involve strategizing instead of quick reactions.
Overall, females are more comfortable with being told what to do while men feel more secure when they are shown what to do. Females are better at associating, determining the most efficient way to complete a task. Males are more effective at completing activities autonomously, doing tasks without thought. How males and females navigate directions is a great example. A female will rely on her fine motor skills to find her way. A female will write down directions and ask for help, whereas a male will keep driving until he figures it out for himself.