Based on THAT anecdotal evidence, I'd say the study is correct.
I'm a female and I have an engineering degree and I agree with this study based on what I know about myself. I love math and aced calculus 1,2,3 and differential equations, but when it came to courses like vector analysis where I had to visualize 3-d functions in space, turning around and moving and such, it was like my brain just shut off. I believe I got my first D ever in that class.
I recently read a book called "Brain Sex" ("sex" means "gender" in the title) that discussed the differences between men's and women's brains and how they function. One of the things it pointed out is that men and women tend to use road maps differently. Women reorient the map so that the map is pointing in the same direction that the woman is going in order to be able to read it. Well, *I* do that, lol! I couldn't believe I actually saw that in writing. I have no problem reading maps and I even like reading maps. But, if I'm going north, then by golly, I have to turn my map so that the road I'm on is also going north, lol. Otherwise, a left on the map might be a right in reality and I'll get confused, lol!
I love this subject!
I am exactly your opposite. Before spell-check, I had to consult a dictionary continuously to write reports and memos. But I often amazed my coworkers by troubleshooting a system by visualizing the system and the reported symptoms and then figuring out a list of things that might cause them before leaving my chair.
I believe this study is correct.