Sex role and spatial ability: an EEG study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sex role and spatial ability using both performance and electrocortical (EEG) measures. Two hundred and fifty four subjects were given the Differential Aptitudes Space Relations Test and a short form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) which gives an indication of sex role. From this initial group, 40 males and females were chosen based on sex role scores. These subjects were asked to solve additional visuo-spatial problems. Bilateral EEG measures were taken from the frontal and parietal areas. The results indicate that frontal EEG measures are related to the sex role orientation of the subjects whereas parietal EEG measures are associated with performance on the visuo-spatial task for males but not females. These results suggest that frontal and parietal EEG measures reflect different processes. Counter to the traditional hypothesis, performance on the visuo-spatial task was negatively related to masculine sex-role orientation suggesting that factors which influence spatial processing go beyond biological sex.