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Training spatial skills in men and women
Isabelle D Cherney1, Kyle Bersted, Joseph Smetter
11 Creighton University.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|August 26, 2014
Summary
Short-term video game training significantly improved women's mental rotation skills, bridging the performance gap with men. This offers a potential method to encourage women's participation in STEM fields.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Sex differences in spatial abilities, particularly mental rotation, are well-documented.
- These differences may contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields.
- Video game training has shown potential for cognitive skill enhancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if short-term video game training can improve women's mental rotation skills.
- To determine if such training can reduce the sex difference in mental rotation performance.
- To explore the impact of Nintendo Wii™ or GameCube training on spatial ability.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 30 men and 30 women was conducted.
- Participants underwent one hour of video game training on either a Nintendo Wii™ or GameCube console.
- Mental rotation skills were assessed before and after the training intervention.
Main Results:
- One hour of video game training significantly increased women's mental rotation scores.
- Trained women's scores became comparable to men's scores.
- Women showed greater average improvement than men, even after controlling for prior experience.
Conclusions:
- Short-term video game training is an effective method for enhancing women's mental rotation abilities.
- This intervention can help mitigate sex differences in spatial skills.
- Video games offer a promising avenue to potentially increase women's engagement in STEM careers.
