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Which spatial abilities and strategies predict males’ and females’ performance in the object perspective test?

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Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate whether different spatial abilities and strategies sustain perspective-taking (PT) performance in males and females. The PT task used was the Object Perspective Test (OPT, Kozhevnikov and Hegarty in Mem Cogn 29:745–756, 2001; Hegarty and Waller in Intelligence 32:175–191, 2004). A sample of 40 males and 40 females completed the OPT and several other visuo-spatial tasks and questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis showed that OPT performance was predicted positively by a spatial imagery preference and negatively by the specific use of mental rotation strategy (i.e. turning the sheet of paper). Gender interacted with the Embedded Figure Test (EFT), a spatial visualization task, since high EFT scores only positively predicted the OPT results in males. Overall, our results show that OPT performance is sustained by specific spatial abilities and strategies modulated, at least in part, by gender.

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Conflict of interest

This supplement was not sponsored by outside commercial interests. It was funded entirely by ECONA, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185 Roma, Italy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia, 8, 35131, Padua, Italy

    Chiara Meneghetti, Francesca Pazzaglia & Rossana De Beni

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  1. Chiara Meneghetti
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  2. Francesca Pazzaglia
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  3. Rossana De Beni
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Correspondence to Chiara Meneghetti.

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Meneghetti, C., Pazzaglia, F. & De Beni, R. Which spatial abilities and strategies predict males’ and females’ performance in the object perspective test?. Cogn Process 13 (Suppl 1), 267–270 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-012-0500-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-012-0500-x

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