News Humans

Baby boys may show spatial supremacy

Male superiority on mental rotation tasks may develop within a few months after birth

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

The gender gap in spatial abilities — charted for more than 30 years — emerges within the first few months of life, years earlier than previously thought, psychologists report.

NEW ANGLES ON BLOCKS How long babies spent time looking at rotated blocks and the mirror images of blocks was a measure of the ability to mentally rotate an object.