Gender, Working Memory, Strategy Use, and Spatial Ability

• Published in: North American journal of psychology Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 601 - 617
• Main Authors: Wang, Lu, Carr, Martha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Winter Garden North American Journal of Psychology 01.09.2019
• Subjects: Accuracy; Educational psychology; Gender differences; Males; Memory; Short-term memory; Studies
• ISSN: 1527-7143

This study investigates the relationships among gender, visuospatial working memory, verbal working memory, strategy use and mental rotation spatial ability. Backward spatial span (measures visuospatial working memory), backward digit span (measures verbal working memory), and two mental rotation tests, Vandenberg-Kuse mental rotation test and solid figures turning test were administered to young adults attending a medium-sized university in the southeastern part of the U.S.. Participants self-reported their strategy use on the Vandenberg-Kuse mental rotation test and solid figures turning test. The results of independent samples t-tests did not show any gender differences in visuospatial working memory, verbal working memory, or strategy use on the two mental rotation tests administered, although gender differences in mental rotation were present. In order to identify significant predictor(s) of holistic strategy use on the two mental rotation tests, hierarchical regressions analyses were performed. The results of these analyses did not find gender and the interaction between visuospatial working memory and verbal working memory to be predictive of holistic strategy use, as would be predicted by a model developed by Wang and Carr (2014). Finally, correlation analyses showed some consistency in strategy use across the two mental rotation tests. In sum, although the main findings concerning the interaction between visuospatial working memory and verbal working memory in predicting strategy use, and subsequently, in predicting performance on the two mental rotation tests were unexpected from the preexisting model, possible reasons for these unexpected findings were discussed.