Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition01:24

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are themselves.
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development01:30

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development01:19

Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development

The formal operational stage, as described in Piaget's cognitive development theory, begins around age 11 and extends into adulthood. It marks the emergence of advanced cognitive abilities that differentiate adolescent and adult thinking from those of younger children. This stage is characterized by abstract reasoning, hypothetical-deductive reasoning, and a more complex understanding of self and others.
Abstract Reasoning and Hypothetical-Deductive Thinking
Unlike the concrete operational...
Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
Cognitive Development During Adolescence01:18

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the recognition that people have...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The effect of internal and external visualization of rotation on postural stability.

Frontiers in cognition·2026
Same author

Visual-spatial demands in sports: An empirical survey based study.

Acta psychologica·2026
Same author

The effect of online mindfulness training on connectedness to oneself, to others and to nature in students.

Applied psychology. Health and well-being·2026
Same author

Explicit and implicit attitudes toward sustainability in outdoor athletes.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same author

Advances in Micro- and Macrobiological Strategies for Pest Control in Berry Production Systems: A Critical Review.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Affective and reflective attitudes toward vegetarian food consumption: the effect of goal priming.

Frontiers in nutrition·2025
Same journal

SuperAgers Show Attenuated Age-Related Decline in Episodic Memory: Longitudinal Evidence from the Yakumo Study.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Mental Health Stereotypes and Aging: Effects on Mood and Decision Making.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Aging Reduces Attentional Modulation of Speech-Evoked Cortical Responses While Preserving Adaptation.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Ageing and Type of Employment Affect Workers' Ability to Anticipate Their Employment Prospects.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Associations of Self-Defining Memories Characteristics and Transdiagnostic Variables with Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Older Adults Show Reduced High Frequency Power in Both Recent and Remote Spatial Memory Retrieval Compared to Younger Adults.

Experimental aging research·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Three-Dimensional Mapping of the Rotation of Interactive Virtual Objects with Eye-Tracking Data
06:36

Three-Dimensional Mapping of the Rotation of Interactive Virtual Objects with Eye-Tracking Data

Published on: October 18, 2024

Gender differences in mental rotation across adulthood.

Petra Jansen1, Martin Heil

  • 1Institute for Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany. Petra.Jansen-Osmann@uni-duesseldorf.de

Experimental Aging Research
|January 8, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Men consistently outperformed women in mental rotation tasks across all age groups. While performance declined with age, gender differences varied between traditional and computer-based tests.

More Related Videos

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Three-Dimensional Mapping of the Rotation of Interactive Virtual Objects with Eye-Tracking Data
06:36

Three-Dimensional Mapping of the Rotation of Interactive Virtual Objects with Eye-Tracking Data

Published on: October 18, 2024

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Development

Background:

  • Gender differences in mental rotation are well-documented in younger adults.
  • Limited research exists on age-related changes in these spatial abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gender differences in mental rotation across different age groups (20-70 years).
  • To compare performance using a paper-pencil test and a computer-based task.

Main Methods:

  • 150 adults were divided into three age groups: 20-30, 40-50, and 60-70 years.
  • Participants completed the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and a computer-based same-different task with polygons.

Main Results:

  • Overall performance in mental rotation tasks decreased with advancing age.
  • Men consistently outperformed women across all age groups in both tasks.
  • The gender gap in the MRT narrowed with age, potentially due to a floor effect.
  • Gender differences in error rates remained consistent across age groups in the computer-based task.

Conclusions:

  • Spatial reasoning abilities, including mental rotation, decline with age.
  • While men generally show an advantage, the magnitude of this gender difference is influenced by age and testing methodology.