Implicit and Explicit Gender Beliefs in Spatial Ability: Stronger Stereotyping in Boys than Girls

Abstract

Sex differences in spatial ability are a seriously debated topic, given the importance of spatial ability for success in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and girls' underrepresentation in these domains. In the current study we investigated the presence of stereotypic gender beliefs on spatial ability (i.e., “spatial ability is for boys”) in 10- and 12-year-old children. We used both an explicit measure (i.e., a self-report questionnaire) and an implicit measure (i.e., a child IAT). Results of the explicit measure showed that both sexes associated spatial ability with boys, with boys holding more male stereotyped attitudes than girls. On the implicit measure, boys associated spatial ability with boys, while girls were gender-neutral. In addition, we examined the effects of gender beliefs on spatial performance, by experimentally activating gender beliefs within a pretest—instruction—posttest design. We compared three types of instruction: boys are better, girls are better, and no sex differences. No effects of these gender belief instructions were found on children's spatial test performance (i.e., mental rotation and paper folding). The finding that children of this age already have stereotypic beliefs about the spatial capacities of their own sex is important, as these beliefs may influence children's choices for spatial leisure activities and educational tracks in the STEM domain.

Okul Öncesi Öğretmen Adaylarının Uzamsal Düşünme Becerilerinin İncelenmesi

“…However, some studies revealed that, male preservice teachers had higher levels of spatial thinking skills than females, and female preservice teachers had higher levels of anxiety than male preservice teachers (Dursun, 2010;Erkek, Işıksal, & Çakıroğlu, 2017;Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine & Beilock, 2012). In addition to these studies, Vander Heyden et al revealed that children's choices for activities which require spatial thinking skills may vary by gender, but there are no statistically significant differences between boys' and girls' spatial thinking skills (Vander Heyden, van Atteveldt, Huizinga, & Jolles, 2016). The numbers of male and female participants (11 to 121) might not be enough, or there may be some other factors to be investigated related to gender as a factor influencing spatial abilities.…”

“…It is the reality. However, gender is being widely investigated in terms of whether it is an influential factor on spatial thinking skills or not (Abay, Tertemiz, & Gökbulut, 2018;Dursun, 2010;Erkek, Işıksal, & Çakıroğlu, 2017;Hacıömeroğlu & Hacıömeroğlu, 2017;Maiorana, 2014;Newcombe, 2013;Vander Heyden, van Atteveldt, Huizinga, & Jolles, 2016). This is why we aimed to investigate gender as a factor for prospective preschool teachers.…”

Gender stereotypes and incremental beliefs in STEM and non-STEM students in three countries: relationships with performance in cognitive tasks

“…For example, a number of studies found that men and women were stereotypically believed to be better at spatial and verbal abilities, respectively (Halpern & Tan 2001;Hausmann, Schoofs, Rosenthal, & Jordan 2009;Hausmann 2014;Hirnstein, Coloma Andrews, & Hausmann 2014;Moè, Meneghetti, & Cadinu 2009). Already 10-to 12-year-olds believed that boys/men have better spatial (Vander Heyden, van Atteveldt, Huizinga, & Jolles 2016) and girls/women better verbal skills (Kurtz-Costes, Copping, Rowley, & Kinlaw 2014). Most of the studies on gender stereotypes in spatial and verbal abilities tested psychology students or did not specify the academic background of their sample.…”

The role of spatial and spatial-temporal analysis in children’s causal cognition of continuous processes

“…spatial perspective taking [17]). Intrinsic abilities emerge around the age of four, whereas extrinsic dynamic abilities are detectible later in the development, becoming dissociated around the age of 9 to 10 years, at which point intrinsic spatial ability matures into an adult form [18]. However, in all of these the focus is on spatial configurations; even in dynamic tasks, there is no concern with the temporal dimension, merely with initial and final states.…”