A sex difference in mental rotation in young infants.
Three- to 4-month-old female and male human infants were administered a two-dimensional mental-rotation task similar to those given to older children and adults. Infants were familiarized with the number 1 (or its mirror image) in seven different rotations between 0 degrees and 360 degrees, and then preference-tested with a novel rotation of the familiar stimulus paired with its mirror image. Male infants displayed a novelty preference for the mirror-image stimulus over the novel rotation of the familiar stimulus, whereas females divided attention between the two test stimuli. The results point toward an early emergence of a sex difference in mental rotation.
Quinn
Paul C
PC
Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. pquinn@udel.edu
Liben
Lynn S
LS
D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D012399:Rotation; D012737:Sex Factors