Mental rotation in human infants: a sex difference.
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.
Moore
David S
DS
Pitzer College and Claremont Graduate University, Los Angeles, CA 91711,USA. dmoore@pitzer.edu
Johnson
Scott P
SP
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D012399:Rotation; D012737:Sex Factors; D014743:Videotape Recording