Gender Differences in the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) Are Not Due to Task Complexity

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Titze ◽  
Martin Heil ◽  
Petra Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Medium Effects ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Mental Rotations ◽  
Sufficient Power ◽  
Forced Choice Tasks ◽  
Choice Tasks

Gender differences are one of the main topics in mental rotation research. This paper focuses on the influence of the performance factor task complexity by using two versions of the Mental Rotations Test (MRT). Some 300 participants completed the test without time constraints, either in the regular version or with a complexity reducing template creating successive two-alternative forced-choice tasks. Results showed that the complexity manipulation did not affect the gender differences at all. These results were supported by a sufficient power to detect medium effects. Although performance factors seem to play a role in solving mental rotation problems, we conclude that the variation of task complexity as realized in the present study did not.

Pairwise Presentation of Cube Figures Does Not Reduce Gender Differences in Mental Rotation Performance

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Titze ◽  
Martin Heil ◽  
Petra Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Presentation Mode ◽  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Performance Factor

Gender differences still are one of the main topics in mental rotation research. Quite a number of different approaches aim to uncover the reasons for the substantial effect sizes observed. In this paper, we focus on the performance factor task complexity, which may contribute to gender differences. A pairwise paper-pencil presentation mode – using the original but rearranged items of the classic MRT by Peters et al. (1995) – was chosen to investigate mental rotation performance of adults. A total of 72 participants were asked to complete a complexity reduced version of the MRT: They had to complete simple “same-different” judgments without any time constraints instead of regular “two-out-of-four-alternatives” choices. Results revealed that the reduction of complexity did not affect the gender differences at all: Men outperformed women in both accuracy and speed. The reasons for these results are discussed.

scholarly journals Gymnasts and Orienteers Display Better Mental Rotation Performance Than Nonathletes

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Schmidt ◽  
Fabienne Egger ◽  
Mario Kieliger ◽  
Benjamin Rubeli ◽  
Julia Schüler
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Mental Rotations ◽  
Endurance Runners

Abstract. The aim of this study was to examine whether athletes differ from nonathletes regarding their mental rotation performance. Furthermore, it investigated whether athletes doing sports requiring distinguishable levels of mental rotation (orienteering, gymnastics, running), as well as varying with respect to having an egocentric (gymnastics) or an allocentric perspective (orienteering), differ from each other. Therefore, the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) was carried out with 20 orienteers, 20 gymnasts, 20 runners, and 20 nonathletes. The results indicate large differences in mental rotation performance, with those actively doing sports outperforming the nonathletes. Analyses for the specific groups showed that orienteers and gymnasts differed from the nonathletes, whereas endurance runners did not. Contrary to expectations, the mental rotation performance of gymnasts did not differ from that of orienteers. This study also revealed gender differences in favor of men. Implications regarding a differentiated view of the connection between specific sports and mental rotation performance are discussed.

scholarly journals Effect of Time Constraint in Exploring Spatial Differences With Balanced Allocation of Performance Factors in a Redrawn Mental Rotation Test

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hi-Lian Jeng ◽  
Yi-Lung Lin
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Item Type ◽  
Time Constraint ◽  
Related Field ◽  
Mental Rotation Test ◽  
Angular Disparity ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Rotation Test

To achieve a comprehensive and unbiased measurement, a mental rotation test (MRT) (cube form) was redrawn and administered with influential performance factors, namely, time constraint, item type, angular disparity, and rotation/flipping. Item type, angular disparity, and rotation/flipping were systematically balanced into the items of the redrawn Pentomino-MRT, and two time-constraint conditions were randomly assigned to 813 Grade 4 to 6 primary students when administering the test. Children of these ages are of investigative interest because they are at crucial stages of spatial ability development and are at an age where associated gender differences emerge. The study demonstrates that spatial gender differences can be detected in Grade 4, are more marked in Grade 5, and become stable in Grade 6. The importance of time constraint is acknowledged in how and at what grade gender differences emerge under the conditions of the performance factors investigated. In particular, the performance of girls reminds us to focus on their spatial ability development if later STEM-related field participation is of concern.

On gender differences in mental rotation processing speed

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 8-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudolf Debelak ◽  
Georg Gittler ◽  
Martin Arendasy
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Processing Speed

scholarly journals Adults’ and Children’s Comprehension of Linguistic Disjunction

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoud Jasbi ◽  
Michael C. Frank
Keyword(s):  
Forced Choice ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Mutual Knowledge ◽  
Existential Sentences ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Pragmatic Reasoning ◽  
Truth Conditional ◽  
Forced Choice Tasks ◽  
Choice Tasks ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

Disjunction has played a major role in advancing theories of logic, language, and cognition, featuring as the centerpiece of debates on the origins and development of logical thought. Recent studies have argued that due to non-adult-like pragmatic reasoning, preschool children’s comprehension of linguistic disjunction differs from adults in two ways. First, children are more likely to interpret “or” as “and” (conjunctive interpretations); Second, children are more likely to consider a disjunction as inclusive (lack of exclusivity implicatures). We tested adults and children’s comprehension of disjunction in existential sentences using two and three-alternative forced choice tasks, and analyzed children’s spontaneous verbal reactions prior to their forced-choice judgments. Overall our results are compatible with studies that suggest children understand the basic truth-conditional semantics of disjunction. Children did not interpret “or” as “and”, supporting studies that argue conjunctive interpretations are due to task demands. In addition, even though our forced-choice tasks suggest children interpreted disjunction as inclusive, spontaneous verbal reactions showed that children were sensitive to the adult-like pragmatics of disjunction. Theoretically, these studies provide evidence against previous developmental accounts, and lend themselves to two alternative hypotheses. First, that preschool children’s pragmatic knowledge is more adult-like than previously assumed, but forced-choice judgments are not sensitive enough to capture this knowledge. Second, children may have the knowledge of the relevant lexical scale themselves, but be uncertain whether a new speaker also has this knowledge (mutual knowledge of the scale).

Gender differences in mental rotation strategy depend on degree of autistic traits

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1024-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Stevenson ◽  
Mary B. Nonack
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Rotation Strategy
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