Work

Mental Rotation in Human Infants: A Sex Difference

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: A sex difference on mental-rotation tasks has been demonstrated repeatedly, but not in children less than 4 years of age. To demonstrate mental rotation in human infants, we habituated 5-month-old infants to an object revolving through a 240 degrees angle. In successive test trials, infants saw the habituation object or its mirror image revolving through a previously unseen 120 degrees angle. Only the male infants appeared to recognize the familiar object from the new perspective, a feat requiring mental rotation. These data provide evidence for a sex difference in mental rotation of an object through three-dimensional space, consistently seen in adult populations.

Source: Psychological Science

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02200.x

Authors: David S. Moore, Scott P. Johnson

Institutions: Claremont Graduate University, Pitzer College, University of California, Los Angeles

Language: English

Topic: Spatial Cognition and Navigation

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Pitzer College, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development