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.

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.

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

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

Task Complexity and Subjective Arousal

1986 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-71
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Pond ◽  
Laurie A. Kimball
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Perceptual Information ◽  
Check List ◽  
Adjective Check List ◽  
Subjective Arousal ◽  
Medium Group

Responses on the Activation–Deactivation Adjective Check List were recorded for forty–eight subjects who were performing a visual perceptual information processing task at one of three levels of task difficulty. In general, significant task performance differences in the expected direction were recorded. Two of the activation measures were found to differentiate between low and high task difficulty groups, while the scores for the medium group fell between these two-but did not significantly differ from either. Gender differences for both performance and activation measures were largely not significant.

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.

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