Sex pencil-and-paper spatial tests were administered to 232 boys and 237 girls with an average age of 10 years. Results suggest that sex differences in spatial ability may emerge before adolescence, but they are not necessarily generalized at that time. (Author/RH)

Accuracy of pattern copying was studied in male and female 10-year-olds. Contrary to expectations, independent of the stimulus size, males benefited from spatial response cues whereas females did not. (Author/DB)

Data from a battery of spatial tests taken by children six to 18 years old indicate that a male advantage in spatial performance appears reliably by age 10, and that the magnitude of the advantage remains constant through age 18. (PCB)

Results suggest that (1) sex differences are found for some types of spatial ability but not others; (2) large sex differences are found only on measures of mental rotation; (3) smaller sex differences are found on measures of spatial perception; and (4) when sex differences are found, they can be detected across the life span. (Author/RH)

When reference cues are added to a pattern copying task, males' performance improves, but females' remains the same. This superior cue utilization may partially explain differences in spatial abilities. The present research attempts to determine the optimum locus for facilitation of copying by reference cues. (RH)

Plomin and Foch's conclusion that sex differences in cognition account for very little of the total variability in test scores is challenged by demonstrating that on a complex test of spatial visualization the difference between males and females accounts for a quite substantial portion of variability. (Author)

Studies the relationship between timing of puberty and spatial ability in 53 undergraduate women. Results do not show evidence for greater spatial ability on the part of those who have late maturation. (RJC)

Critically reviews literature relevant to the hypothesis that a major X-linked gene determines spatial ability in man. It is concluded that belief in the validity of the hypothesis is unfounded. (Author/SS)

Young and older nursery school children were taken to three locations in their school and asked to point to five targets on the school grounds. Older children were more accurate than younger children, but children's spatial representations were relatively nonintegrated at both age levels. Consistent sex differences in favor of males were found.…

Children's performances in pointing a telescope at landmarks surrounding their own neighborhood were assessed for 60 children in three age groups: first and second graders, fourth and fifth graders, and seventh and eighth graders. Among the results, sex differences both in point consistency and in the accuracy of pointings from imagined reference…

Sixty-four 3- and 4-year-olds were asked to identify another's view of a spatial array either verbally or by picture selection. Results indicate that verbalization leads to substantially more correct responses. Girls' performance was significantly better than boys' performance across both response modes. (Author/DB)

Proposes that humans may have evolved a special sensitivity to certain types of social information during rough-and-tumble play that facilitates social cognition. Describes the cognitive benefits of physical play as providing a break from demanding intellectual tasks and hypothesizes that physical play is related to gender differences in spatial…

Examined the longitudinal predictability of spatial ability in late-adolescent females. No timing of puberty or lateralization effects were observed. These findings strengthen evidence that sex-related differences in spatial ability could be experientially determined and may help to focus the search for exactly how this occurs. (Author/GLR)

Examined children's recall of the spatial configurations of an environment after the children followed prearranged paths and encountered barriers to movement. When asked to reconstruct the environmental configuration from memory, males estimated distances more accurately than did females. No age differences were noted. (Author/DB)