A 10-Year Longitudinal Relationship Between Preschool Sex-Typical Play Behavior at Age 3.5 Years and Mental Rotation Performance in Adolescence at Age 13 Years.

Abstract

It has been proposed that childhood sex-typical play experiences may shape subsequent mental rotation abilities. Average sex differences in both play behavior and mental rotation performance have been well documented. Male-typical play typically involves more spatial activities than does female-typical play. Also, males typically score higher on mental rotation tasks than do females. The present study investigated the association between preschool sex-typical play behavior and mental rotation performance in adolescence. Participants were drawn from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a British longitudinal population study. It was not possible for the present study to follow up the entire longitudinal cohort. Subgroups of participants were recruited based on parent-reported sex-typical play behavior at age 3.5 years. There were 66 masculine boys and 59 masculine girls, 81 feminine boys and 68 feminine girls, and 55 randomly selected control boys and 67 randomly selected control girls. At age 13 years, the recruited participants completed a mental rotation task. Masculine children scored significantly higher on the mental rotation task than did control children or feminine children. In addition, control children scored significantly higher on the mental rotation task than did feminine children. These longitudinal associations were not moderated by sex and were observed after considering sociodemographic background, academic performance, and other preschool child characteristics such as vocabulary and fine motor skills. Sex-typical play behavior in the preschool period is related to mental rotation performance 10 years later in adolescence. Preschool sex-typical play behavior may have long-term implications for spatial skills development beyond childhood.