The Impact of College Physical Sciences on Mental Rotation Ability

Men typically outperform women in Mental Rotation (MR) tasks, a skill that is crucial to many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. Research suggests this difference may be a partial cause for the gender gap in the sciences. Previous findings indicate that practicing MR, especially through physical science classes, may increase women’s MR performance and, perhaps, increase their involvement in STEM disciplines. However, conflicting results from existing studies make it difficult to determine the exact effect various science experiences have on MR. This study examined the relationship between physical science experience and performance on selected items from the Purdue Visualizations of Rotations Test (PVRT). College student participants with different science backgrounds (physical science, biological science, no science) completed the PVRT and provided data about their personal and childhood experiences with MR-related tasks, their perceptions of their task performance, and their college course experiences. Our results showed no significant sex differences in performance but did show that experience in physical science courses (chemistry and physics) predicted MR, while biological science experience decreased performance on these tasks. A lack of self-handicapping also predicted MR. These findings suggest that practicing these skills in classes may increase MR ability.