Age and sex differences in measures of brain lateralization.
79 kindergarten and sixth grade, male and female, right-handed subjects were administered two tasks which infer left-hemisphere processing (WISC Digit Span and PMA Verbal Meaning) and two tasks which infer right-hemisphere processing (WISC Block Design and PMA Spatial Relations) and the Rod-and-Frame Test, a measure of field dependence/independence. A significant grade level increase for all of the tests except for the PMA Spatial Relations Test was noted. The decrease on the PMA Spatial Relations Test was significant for female subjects. Sixth grade males were significantly superior to sixth grade females on the constructive, visuo-spatial task (WISC Block Design Test). There were no other significant sex differences when separating out age level differences. Results are interpreted to suggest less lateralization for females and for males earlier, greater right-hemisphere lateralization for spatial tasks with three-dimensional constructive components.
D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013028:Space Perception; D014888:Wechsler Scales