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)

A total of 31 three- and four-year-old children were observed at four computer tasks in order to determine the extent to which spatial knowledge and memory for the language and mechanics of programing were related. (Author/RH)

Seventy-nine kindergarten and sixth-grade right-handed subjects were administered tasks to infer left-hemisphere and right-hemisphere processing and a measure of field dependence/independence. Results correlating to age and sex are discussed. (Author/SJL)

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…

Because of the general recognition of the importance of mathematics ability, and the close relationship between mathematics ability and spatial ability, eight studies were undertaken to discover and describe aspects of spatial competence in children. The range of abilities tapped stretched from very early precursor skills with Euclidean space to…

Analyzes sex-related differences between mental rotation rate and spatial ability among adults, 14-year-olds, and 9.5-year-olds to determine the extent to which rotation rate is a correlate of various abilities. (HOD)

A total of 259 children between 5 and 12 years of age plotted the location and heading of an adult who was standing in their classroom onto a map of the classroom. Older children performed better than younger ones; boys performed better than girls. (MDM)

Children ages 4, 8, 12, 16, and adults responded to 24 paintings concerning three subject matters and varying in realism and space depiction. Five-factor analysis of variance indicated that the triple interaction of subject matter, realism, and spatial depth was significant for all. Preferences are discussed by age group. (SJL)

Spatial cognition entails the ability to mentally represent spatial relations and to anticipate the course and outcome of transformations applied to those relations. The developmental histories of four tasks used to assess the maturity of spatial cognition in children are described. Significant effects were found for age, gender, task, and for…

Gender differences in spatial ability in old age were examined and the effectiveness of cognitive training in reducing these differences was assessed. Age-related decline in the speed of problem solving, especially for men, was noted. Following training on mental rotation ability, there was no significant gender difference in spatial ability…

This study investigated differential group performance on a spatial rotation test. A 19-item multiple-choice test was administered to a random sample of 107 students in grades 5 to 8 in an elementary school and a gymnasium (secondary school) in Cyprus. No gender differences were found on the overall score or on item-level performance. Items…

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)

This study examines developmental differences in children's acquired knowledge of two routes of travel through an unfamiliar environmental area. Routes differed in terms of the extent of indirect travel required and were further differentiated in terms of direct and indirect segments of travel within each route. Each route connected four…

In Study 1, upper-division university students took the Witkin Group Embedded Figures Test. Neither race nor sex differences were found. In Study 2, Black and Euro-American freshmen completed that test, a modified Kohs Black Design Test, and the WAIS Picture Completion Test. Racial differences on embedded figures appeared. (Author/SJL)