Performance of male and female children, adolescents and adults on spatial tasks that involve everyday objects and settings.

Abstract

Nine 1 different spatial tests were given to 52 male and 52 female children, 30 male and 33 female adolescents and 46 male and 48 female adults. Eight of the tests were designed to involve stimuli and settings with which subjects would have everyday experience. Significant sex differences were observed only on 2 of the nine tasks. In those cases where sex differences were observed, the effect sizes were well below .100, suggesting that the magnitudes of the sex differences were minimal. The fact that no sex effects were found on 7 of the 9 spatial tasks allows, at most, the statement that males perform better than females on some spatial tasks. There is no justification for the global statement that "males excel in spatial abilities".Resume Neuf 2 tests d'habilete spatiale differents ont et£ administrcs a des enfants (52 garcons et 52 fillettes), a des adolescents (30 garcons et 33 filles) et a des adultes (46 hommes et 48 femmes). Huit tests comportaient des stimuli et des situations qui font partie du quotidien des sujets. Des differences notables entre les sexes ont ete observees uniquement dans deux des neuf taches. Dans les cas ou des differences ont ete relev6es, l'ampleur de Feffet etait bien inferieure a 0,100, ce qui laisse supposer que les differences entre les deux sexes 6taient minimes. Vu l'absence d'effet reli6 au sexe des sujets dans sept des neuf tSches spatiales, nous pouvons affirmer, tout au plus, que les hommes executent mieux que les femmes certaines taches spatiales. Rien ne justifie 1'affirmation globale que «les hommes excellent dans les taches spatiales».

A longitudinal analysis of sex differences in math and spatial skills in primary school age children

“…In our study, we examined composite scores on a broad range of math ability, paper and pencil calculation, and counting skills, and a similarly broad array of visual perception or visual motor skills, as typically assessed in primary school children. Although we do not propose that findings of sex differences on very specific tasks are necessarily invalid, we do propose that, based on our findings and those of others (e.g., Geary, 1994; as reviewed by Alyman & Peters, 1993;Tate, 1997;Marshall & Smith, 1987), there is much evidence to support the lack of either widespread, persistent, broad, or emerging sex differences in observable classroom achievement in primary school age children. Thus our findings support the notion that the existing evidence for sex differences in math and spatial skills are not justifiable grounds on which primary school teachers should base expectations or explanations for their young students' performance.…”

“…Sex differences in favor of girls are reported at younger ages through preadolescence (Ginsburg & Russell, 1981;Kaplan & Weisberg, 1987;Marshall & Smith, 1987). However, other studies have reported no significant sex differences in math abilities and achievement (Alyman & Peters, 1993;Geary, 1994;Tate, 1997).…”

“…Indeed, some argue that the spatial superiority reported for males is limited to very specific tasks, such as mental rotation tasks and location learning in young adults (Astur, Oritz, & Sutherland, 1998). This means that sex differences may not be apparent on global tests of general spatial abilities, as Alyman and Peters (1993) have reported in their cross sectional study of spatial abilities using everyday prompts, from childhood to adulthood.…”

Evolution of sex differences in spatial cognition

“…One is the abstract nature of the skills themselves. Carefully designed experiments can isolate a sex difference in rather arcane tasks such as "embedded figures" and "rotated blocks," but the few attempts to isolate a sex difference using real world problems have yielded ambiguous results, at best (Silverman and Eals, 1994;Alyman and Peters, 1993). The skills may play significant roles in the abstract world of mathematical reasoning (Benbow, 1988;Geary, 19961, but this can hardly have been a factor in human evolution.…”

“…Spatiotemporal ability is perhaps the one with the most easily imagined benefits-dodging traffic comes to mind-but it is also the one in which spatial cognition per se plays the least clearly defined role. Alyman and Peters (1993) have called attention to this problem. "[Tlhe kinds of tests that have been used in order to asses sex differences in spatial behavior do not only contain various and differently defined aspects of 'spatiality,' but they are abstract representations of 'real life' behavior" (p. 731).…”