Psyc7006 - Sex differences in spatial ability - wk10 Flashcards
Does virtual exploration lead to significant gender differences in spatial performance?
YES, sex is a critical variable influencing spatial ability regardless of whether learning has occured in the real world or virtual space. Female performance is generally found to be inferior during both encoding and retrieval of spatial knowledge.
E..g.,
Navigation time, female > male (female take longer)
Incorrect decisions, female > male (more incorrect decision from females)
Point time, female > male (females take longer to point to where an object is/was)
Wayfinding time, female > male (females take longer)
Map error, female > male (females make more errors)
are there Intra-sex differences in spatial skills in females?
Why is this important to know when considering inter-sex differences?
Intra-sex differences in spatial ability are correlated with 2D:4D ratio. Lower ratio (2D shorter:, 4D longer) correlated with better spatial skills (spatial knowledge of the virtual environment, mental rotation)
In females, sports attainment and visuo-spatial ability are related. Thus when comparing males and females (inter-sex), the results can be influences by the populations of males and females (e.g., low sport attainment males v high sport attainment females)
What is the 2D:4D ratio, and what is the average female ratio vs. male ratio?
The proportion in length between the second and fourth digits of the human hand. This correlates with prenatal testosterone levels (but not adult levels). It is relevant to spatial ability because these skills are influenced by the prenatal concentrations of sex hormones. Which in turn is related to sports attainment.
Ratio is 1 (higher) for females (2D same as 4D), for males (2D shorter than 4D) (lower).
What is the one spatial area females are usually found to perform better than males?
(+ author and year)
Object location memory.
Specifically when two objects exchange places….females seem better at recognising a swap has occurred and what items swapped positions.
(Silverman and Eals 1992)
Why is it theorised that women perform better on object location memory? (who theorised this?)
Women are thought to perform better in object location memory because it relies on semantic meanings of objects - i.e., identifying objects which may related to women’s evolutionary role as a ‘gatherer’
James and Kimura 1997)
What experiment did James and Kimura 1997 use in regards to women’s superior object location memory..what did they conclude?
Compared men and women. Object exchanges (objects swapped positions) versus. Object shifts (object moves to a previously unoccupied area)
Women superior in object swaps but not object shifts.
Theorised that womens’ superiority on task depends on whether task required object identification.
Describe the paradigm for testin the theory that women are superior when spatial task requires object-identification.
(+author and year)
Hollingworth 2005 paradigm ….
Object presented with scenary (Context background)
C1 - no background, box rotated or not rotated —> which is the original?
C2. Background, box rotated or not rotated –> which is the original?
NO EVIDENCE for hypothesis that women excel in spatial task that depend on the ID of objects - but the 2D:4D rations were similar between males and females.
