Girls' spatial abilities: charting the contributions of experiences and attitudes in different academic groups

Gender-related differences in spatial abilities favouring males are well established but have also generated a great deal of controversy. Cross-cultural research, meta-analyses and training studies could show the influence of socio-cultural and experiential factors on spatial-test performance. However, little is known about how experiences and gender-role stereotypes mediate performance differences in this area.

The relationship between specific experiences (spatial activities, computer experience), achievement-related attitudes, and spatial abilities, i.e., mental-rotation ability was investigated with males and females in different academic subgroups.

The sample comprised 112 female and 71 male undergraduates, majoring in arts, humanities and social sciences, sports, psychology and computational visualistics.

A redrawn version of the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotations Test (MRT) was administered and the participants completed a questionnaire about their spatial activities, computer experience, self-ratings regarding everyday spatial abilities, and attitudes towards mathematics and physics.

Mental Rotations Test performance was mainly affected by academic programme and gender, but the effect size of gender differences varied. It was largest with students majoring in arts, humanities and social sciences and smallest with those majoring in computational visualistics. Data analyses revealed statistically significant correlations with spatial activities and computer experience only for females. The relationship between test performance and scales of achievement-related self-concept also depended on gender.

Compared to males, females' spatial abilities are extremely vulnerable to and thus modifiable through attitudinal and experiential factors. This has considerable consequences for intervention programmes that could help to overcome the gender gap in spatial abilities.