ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

In the field of intelligence studies, it is an important topic to find out the possible causes of sex differences in spatial abilities. So in this study, we separated elements that were assumed to be used in 2 dimensional mental rotation task, and verified whether sex differences were existed in these elements. The subjects participated in this experiments were 315 university students(male 157, female 158). We administered mental rotation task in which they were asked to compare the standard stimulus with an alternative stimulus that were either same or different(mirror image), and 5 kinds of spatial ability tests. We set the four-stage componential model that consisted of four components such as encoding, rotation, compare, and respond components, and then used linear regression analysis to test this model. The experiment's results were as follows. First, RTs(reaction times) on performance in the mental rotation task were almost linearly increased at 0°-180°, and almost linearly decreased at 180°-360° in both sex. Second, male students were faster than female students at every rotation angle. Also, sex differences(Cohen'd) were gradually increased by 180° and then gradually decreased. Third, internal validities obtained by fit of model(R²) were high enough in both sex(.85 in male, .83 in female). Fourth, male's speeds of encoding, rotation, and compare components were faster than female's, and rotation component was the most significant in explaining sex differences. Fifth, when we obtained external validity of componential model by computing correlations between components scores and 5 spatial ability test scores, only rotation component had both convergent and discriminant validities. This study has an important meaning for providing experimental evidences that one of the causal processes which make sex differences in spatial abilities is a mental rotation component.

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