Day 135 of 150 Spatial Difficulty 4/10
Mental rotation shows the largest spatial-ability sex difference
Quick answer
Mental rotation shows the largest spatial-ability sex difference. Today's question (Sex differences in spatial ability) asks about a finding from Linn, M. C., & Petersen, A. C. in 1985. The correct option is Mental rotation tasks (e.g., Shepard–Metzler 3D rotation) — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
Linn & Petersen's (1985) meta-analysis of sex differences in spatial ability found that the largest, most robust difference favoring males appeared on:
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: C — Mental rotation tasks (e.g., Shepard–Metzler 3D rotation)
Linn & Petersen (1985) pooled 172 studies and partitioned spatial-ability tasks into three categories. Sex differences favoring males were largest and most consistent for mental rotation (effect sizes around d = 0.7–0.9, especially Shepard–Metzler-style 3D rotations), moderate for spatial perception (d ≈ 0.4), and small or unreliable for spatial visualization. The size of the rotation difference and its emergence in childhood have driven decades of work into causes — biological factors, experiential exposures (toys, video games), and stereotype-threat dynamics. The trichotomy is still the default framework for organizing spatial-ability research.
About the source
Linn, M. C., & Petersen, A. C. (1985). Emergence and characterization of sex differences in spatial ability: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 56(6), 1479–1498.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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