Influence of sex-stereotyped stimuli on the mental-rotation performance of elderly persons.

BACKGROUND: In mental-rotation tests with cube figures as rotational objects, differences in favor of men are often found (Voyer, Voyer, & Bryden, 1995). Mental-rotation performance often declines with age (Jacewicz & Hartley, 1987), but sex differences usually remain (Herman & Bruce, 1983).

METHODS: In this study, male- and female-stereotyped objects were used as rotational stimuli in a mental-rotation paper and pencil test (Ruthsatz, Neuburger, Rahe, Jansen, & Quaiser-Pohl, 2017) for elderly participants (age: 57-88 years).

RESULTS: Overall, no sex differences for mental-rotation performance were found, whereas a significant interaction of sex and stimulus material revealed better performance for own-sex objects (η2  = .070). A significant negative correlation between mental-rotation performance and age could be found (r = -.384).

CONCLUSIONS: It seems to be easier to perform mental-rotation with objects that persons are more familiar with. There is a decrease in mental-rotation accuracy as well as in the processing speed for the older participants.