Psychologists report that a gender gap in spatial skills starts in infancy

PhysOrg ^ | December 09, 2008

[CE2949BB]

Men tend to perform better than women at tasks that require rotating an object mentally, studies have indicated. Now, developmental psychologists at Pitzer College and UCLA have discovered that this type of spatial skill is present in infancy and can be found in boys as young as 5 months old.

While women tend to be stronger verbally than men, many studies have shown that adult men have an advantage in the ability to imagine complex objects visually and to mentally rotate them. Does this advantage go back to infancy?

"We found the answer is yes," said Scott P. Johnson, a UCLA professor of psychology and an expert in infant perception, brain development, cognition and learning. "Infants as young as 5 months can perform the skill, but only boys — at least in our study."

[allmendream]

Why do women have trouble with distance and spatial relationships?

Because men keep telling them this

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is eight inches.

[PzLdr]

So Larry Summers lost his job for telling the truth. Somehow that fits my image of Harvard. And, oh yeah, get the smelling salts for that feminist witch who had the vapors when he made the speech. I believe she is now a bigwig. At Harvard.

[jacquej]

Am going to read the article now, but am so tired of these studies!

Men and Women are complementary. Each is better at some things than other things. What is the big freaking deal?

And, there are exceptions. So what! These people should be ashamed that do these studies. I am having a very cranky moment here.

I have one son who is a talented artist and communicator. I have a daughter who is a talented mathematician. So what! We need all kinds to make the “village” work!

[refermech]

Oh boy was that funny!!! Myself I can envision a any number of beautiful woman(pretty complex) and I can rotate them any which way.

[allmendream]

Rotating beautiful women used to be one of my favorite occupations. ;)

[refermech]

Must be that 8 inches....

[I see my hands]

[refermech]

Homer, is that you? Cool use of (What are those things?)

[Miss Behave]

I'm one girl that goes against theory on this. I'm stronger spatially—mentally and visually—and not as strong verbally.

[I see my hands]

For: The Ladies

[I see my hands]

Thanks :)

ASCII thingies, I guess.

[ari-freedom]

anything you can do I can do better
I can do anything better than you!

[swordfishtrombone]

tasks that require rotating an object mentally

Telekinesis ping?

[I see my hands]

For: Myona Musement

[jimfree]

Does this also speak to our ability to watch a woman walking away and imagine the frontal view?

[sageb1]

Hmmmm...I beat out all the guys in my class when we were tested on this.

[freespirited]

"We don't know why men are better than women at this task or why boys are better than girls at this, but we do now know that this difference extends all the way back to 5 months of age," Johnson said.

Yeah, we do.

[little jeremiah]

Bookmark.

[imintrouble]

Good Lord I wish the folk aiming for their graduate theses would find something new to write about ....

and...

stop smoking weed when they are postulating their results.