Training effects and sex difference in preschoolers’ spatial reasoning ability

Abstract

This study examined sex difference in spatial reasoning, a type of spatial cognition necessary for everyday activities. An aggregated data set was composed of data from 273 3- to 4-year olds who participated in 12 different studies using variants of the same spatial reasoning task. This data set was used to investigate whether and how sex difference is related to learning opportunities through training. The results showed that boys outperform girls in general, but this sex difference was influenced by training. When children received additional training, boys showed improved spatial reasoning ability compared to girls. But when children did not receive additional training, there was no sex difference. The type and amount of training did not influence the sex difference in this data set. These findings add to our understanding of how sex difference in spatial cognition emerges in early development.

Applying computational modeling to assess age‐, sex‐, and strategy‐related differences in Spin the Pots, a working memory task for 2‐ to 4‐year‐olds

“…The effectiveness of the color strategy is consistent with findings from other spatial reasoning tasks (Diamond et al, 1997;Joh, 2016).…”

Sex Differences in Gains Among Hispanic Pre-kindergartners’ Mental Rotation Skills

“…Exploring a younger population, Levine et al (1999) tested children ranging from 4 to almost 7 years of age on a mental rotation task and found sex differences with boys outperforming girls as early as 4.5 years of age. Sex differences on spatial tasks in 3–4.5 year olds have been replicated in other studies (Levine et al, 2012; Joh, 2016; Pruden and Levine, 2017).…”

“…Another longitudinal study (Lachance and Mazzocco, 2006) where over 100 students were followed from kindergarten to third grade to examine sex differences in math and spatial skills found no persistent sex differences during any year of the study, in any area of math or spatial skills, or in growth rates for math or spatial skills. These studies look at change in spatial skills over time in a naturalistic setting, however, none included an analysis of sex differences in change over time in preschool aged children, a time when many children enter formal schooling and sex differences may be emerging (Levine et al, 1999, 2012; Joh, 2016).…”

Developmental Patterns of Cognitive Abilities

“…Sex differences in spatial abilities have farreaching consequences in girls' and women's representation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields [62]. Previous studies showed that training and engaging in spatial activities improves performance [63].…”

“…Previous studies showed that training and engaging in spatial activities improves performance [63]. Therefore, early education and training at school should provide learning opportunities to exercise spatial skills [62] through toys and other tangible objects, through abstract problem solving, and other various play opportunities promoting spatial thinking.…”