Browsing by Author "Roberts, Jonathan E."
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- The Effects of Age and Sex on Mental Rotation Performance, Verbal Performance, and Brain Electrical ActivityRoberts, Jonathan E. (Virginia Tech, 2001-02-09)In adult populations, it is generally accepted there is an overall male advantage on spatial tasks and an overall female advantage on verbal tasks. These differences are inconsistent in children. The present study examined relations among age, sex, EEG hemispheric activation, and performance on spatial and verbal tasks. Thirty-two eight-year-olds (16 boys) and 32 college students (16 men) had EEG recorded at baseline and while performing a computerized 2-dimensional Gingerbread Man mental rotation task, a computerized 2-dimensional Alphanumeric mental rotation task, a computerized 3-dimensional Basketball Player mental rotation task, and a computerized Lexical Decision-Making task. Additionally, participants completed a paper-and-pencil Water Level task and an oral Verbal Fluency task. On the 2-dimensional Alphanumeric and 3-dimensional Basketball Player mental rotation tasks men performed better than boys, but the performance of women and girls did not differ. On the Lexical Decision-Making and Water level tasks, men performed better than women, while there was no difference between boys and girls. No sex differences were found on the 2-dimensional Gingerbread Man mental rotation task or Verbal Fluency task. Analyses of task-related data also indicate that computer familiarization or computer related task demands might contribute to sex differences on computerized tasks. EEG analyses indicated that, on the 2-dimensional Alphanumeric mental rotation task, men exhibited more left posterior temporal activation than women, while there were no differences between boys and girls. Additionally, there was evidence that simple, or 2-dimensional, mental rotation tasks are associated with left posterior brain activation, while 3-dimensional mental rotation tasks are associated with right posterior brain activation. On the 2-dimensional Gingerbread Man mental rotation task, males exhibited more activation of the left parietal area than females, while on the 2-dimensional Alphanumeric mental rotation task, men exhibited more activation of the left posterior temporal area than women. On the 3-dimensional Basketball player mental rotation task, all participants exhibited greater activation of the right parietal area than the left parietal area.
- Sex Differences on a Mental Rotation Task: Variations in Hemispheric Activation Between Children and College StudentsRoberts, Jonathan E. (Virginia Tech, 1998-11-30)The area of cognitive research that has produced the most consistent sex differences is the area of spatial ability. Particularly, males usually perform better on mental rotation tasks than do females. One argument for these differences is that experience with spatial activity drives these differences, such that traditionally more masculine activities require more practice of spatial abilities. Another argument is biological in nature, such that there is either 1) a critical period of development that leads to differential lateralization of the brain, or 2) differential activation of the brain by circulating hormones. Performance on mental rotation tasks has been associated with right parietal activation levels, both during task performance and prior to performance during baseline recordings. The present study examined the relations among sex, age, EEG hemispheric activation (at the 10.5-13.5Hz. frequency band), and 2-dimensional mental rotation task ability. Nineteen eight-year-olds (10 boys) and 20 college students (10 men), had EEG recorded at baseline and while performing a mental rotation task. Men performed better on the mental rotation task than women, while there were no differences between boys and girls. After covarying for baseline EEG high alpha power values, EEG results during the mental rotation task indicated an interaction, with men exhibiting more activation (lower EEG power values at 10.5-13.5Hz) than women in the parietal and posterior temporal regions, while boys' and girls' power values 10.5-13.5Hz did not differ in the parietal or posterior temporal regions. Furthermore, during the baseline condition, men generally exhibited more activation (lower EEG power values at 10.5-13.5Hz) throughout all regions of the scalp. Results support the hypothesis that hormones, or hormonal influence, may result in a biological change which affects both brain activation and performance on mental rotation tasks.