Sex-specific response strategies in mental rotation

The present study investigated whether the marked sex difference in the original mental rotation test (MRT) is simply a result of sex differences in response strategies. Thirty-four participants (17 males, 17 females) completed the revised Vandenberg and Kuse MRT [Peters, M., Laeng, B., Latham, K., Jackson, M., Zaiyouna, R., & Richardson, C. (1995). A redrawn Vandenberg & Kuse Mental Rotations Tests: Different versions and factors that affect performance. Brain and Cognition, 28, 39–58.] and a modified MRT. In the modified version, the number of matching figures varied from zero to four, so that participants had to match every single figure to the target, impeding leaps. Both men and women showed reduced performance in the modified version. However, men were clearly more affected than women. Although sex differences in the modified MRT were somewhat reduced, men still outperformed women (original MRT: d = .95, modified MRT: d = .76). The findings suggest that men rely more on a leaping response strategy than women, however, the robust sex differences in MRT was only marginally affected by sex differences in response strategies.