The University of Chicago researchers used tests of mental transformation as they studied 288 children for their research. The scholars studied mental because it is the spatial skill that other studies have shown to be the strongest determinant of differences in spatial skill between males and females. The children were presented with pictures of two pieces of a complex geometric shape. They were then asked to show which one of four shapes could be made by the two pictured pieces. The origins of the differences in spatial skills between boys and girls are unclear.
Boys tend to play in a way that encourages spatial skill development.
They play with blocks and build models, for example. Parents and teachers need to recognize the differences, however, and realize that if a girl is having trouble working on a task that requires spatial thinking, she may need extra encouragement and help. Levine and Huttenlocher are researchers with the Early Childhood Initiative, which receives funding through a grant from the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation.