Susan D. Voyer

Magnitude of sex differences in spatial abilities: a meta-analysis and consideration of critical variables.

In recent years, the magnitude, consistency, and stability across time of cognitive sex differences have been questioned. The present study examined these issues in the context of spatial abilities. A meta-analysis of 286 effect sizes from a variety of spatial ability measures was conducted. Effect sizes were partitioned by the specific test used and by a number of variables related to the experimental procedure in order to achieve homogeneity. Results showed that sex differences are significant in several tests but that some intertest differences exist. Partial support was found for the notion that the magnitude of sex differences has decreased in recent years. Finally, it was found that the age of emergence of sex differences depends on the test used. Results are discussed with regard to their implications for the study of sex differences in spatial abilities.

The Relation Between Experience and Spatial Performance in Men and Women

The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that environmental factors affect the magnitude of gender differences in spatial performance only when the tasks used are susceptible to the influence of such factors. Two hundred and ninety White middle-class undergraduate students (165 females, 125 males) completed the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotations Test (MRT), a paper and pencil version of the Water Level Task (WLT), and toys and sports preference questionnaires. Results revealed that males outperformed females on both spatial tests. In addition, a main effect of toys preference showed that participants with a spatial toys preference outperformed those with a nonspatial preference on both the MRT and the WLT. This main effect was qualified by an interaction between this factor and gender. The interaction was found only on the WLT and showed that gender differences were only significant in participants with a nonspatial preference. An interaction of sports preference and gender was also observed. This interaction revealed that, in contrast to what was obtained with toys, gender differences on both spatial tests were significant only in participants with a spatial sports preference. Implications of these findings with regard to the development of gender differences in spatial abilities are discussed.

Challenging Stereotypes: Sexual Functioning of Single Adults with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study examined the sexual functioning of single adults (61 men, 68 women) with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome living in the community with and without prior relationship experience. Participants completed an on-line questionnaire assessing autism symptoms, psychological functioning, and various aspects of sexual functioning. In general participants reported positive sexual functioning. Participants without prior relationship experience were significantly younger and more likely to be male and identify as heterosexual. They reported significantly higher sexual anxiety, lower sexual arousability, lower dyadic desire, and fewer positive sexual cognitions. The men reported better sexual function than did the women in a number of areas. These results counter negative societal perceptions about the sexuality of high functioning individuals on the autism spectrum.

Sexual well-being of a community sample of high-functioning adults on the autism spectrum who have been in a romantic relationship:

This study explored factors (gender, age, relationship status, symptomatology) associated with the sexual well-being of 141 (56 men and 85 women) adults with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome (HFA/AS) living in the community. Participants completed an online survey consisting of a measure of autistic symptoms as well as measures of dyadic and solitary sexual well-being. Canonical correlation analyses showed that participants who were currently in a romantic relationship reported more frequent dyadic affectionate and genital activity and greater sexual assertiveness and sexual satisfaction, pointing to the importance of context in an active sex life. After controlling for the first variate, men and individuals with less autism symptomatology, particularly in the social and communication domains, generally reported significantly greater dyadic sexual well-being, including greater sexual satisfaction, assertiveness, arousability, and desire and lower sexual anxiety and fewer sexual problems. Men also reported better solitary sexual well-being, including more sexual thoughts, more sexual desire, and more frequent solitary sexual activity; however, they had lower sexual knowledge. These results highlight the importance for research and sexuality education with individuals with HFA/AS to conceptualize sexual well-being as a multidimensional construct consisting of both dyadic and solitary aspects.

Free-viewing laterality tasks: a multilevel meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Chimeric free-viewing laterality tasks have been used extensively as measures of right-hemisphere functioning, with many variations in stimuli and samples typically showing an LVF bias. However, the questions remain concerning whether the LVF bias is significantly different from zero, and what factors might moderate this bias. METHOD The present meta-analysis answered these questions by retrieving a presumably exhaustive sample of studies published in English that involved free viewing of stimuli. The final analysis was based on 329 effect sizes drawn from 112 published studies. A hierarchical linear model (or multilevel) approach to meta-analysis was used to deal with the violation of the independence of effect-sizes assumption and to reflect better the hierarchical structure of the data. RESULTS A large and significant left visual-field (LVF) bias (estimated mean d = 1.024) was demonstrated across the entire set of retrieved effect sizes. It was also demonstrated that such tasks are a useful tool for discriminating between various clinical populations. Finally, the moderator analysis identified that emotion faces (estimated mean d = 1.052) and timed conditions (estimated mean d = 1.319) appear to promote large effects. CONCLUSIONS The present meta-analysis validated free-viewing laterality tasks as tools for neuropsychological assessment and for empirical research.

Spatial Abilities and Aging: A Meta-Analysis

Background/Study Context: Age-related effects in performance on spatial tasks have been well documented, with results suggesting a negative effect on performance in older samples. Although meta-analyses have been conducted examining performance on specific spatial tasks, it appears that data incorporating a variety of tasks have not yet been integrated into a single meta-analyses. Methods: The present study examined age-related effects on spatial abilities in a multilevel meta-analysis of 137 effect sizes, drawn from 80 samples dated between 1958 and 2011. In addition to sample characteristics (education, year of publication, and age range), procedural factors (spatial ability category, spatial task, dependent variable, task setting, and medium of administration) were also considered. The standardized mean difference (Cohen’s d) was used as the effect size measure in meta-analytic calculations. Results: Results revealed a large (mean d = 1.01) age-related decrease in spatial performance on psychometric tests. Specifically, older adults (mean age range = 63–79.5 years) performed worse on psychometric tests than younger adults (mean age range = 17–28.6 years). Interestingly, this age effect was unaffected by factors such as specific test, test category (mental rotation, spatial perception, or spatial visualization), timing conditions, and group or individual administration. However, measures of response time produced significantly larger effects of age than measures of accuracy on spatial performance. Conclusion: The present analysis demonstrates a clear pattern of negative age effects in spatial ability across the literature. Although these effects are unaffected by the specific spatial component under investigation or testing conditions, speed of processing was shown to be an important factor in spatial performance. The need to report more thoroughly on characteristics of young and old participants in future studies is also emphasized.

Laterality, spatial abilities, and accident proneness

Although handedness as a measure of cerebral specialization has been linked to accident proneness, more direct measures of laterality are rarely considered. The present study aimed to fill that gap in the existing research. In addition, individual difference factors in accident proneness were further examined with the inclusion of mental rotation and navigation abilities measures. One hundred and forty participants were asked to complete the Mental Rotations Test, the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale, the Greyscales task, the Fused Dichotic Word Test, the Waterloo Handedness Questionnaire, and a grip strength task before answering questions related to number of accidents in five areas. Results indicated that handedness scores, absolute visual laterality score, absolute response time on the auditory laterality index, and navigation ability were significant predictors of the total number of accidents. Results are discussed with respect to cerebral hemispheric specialization and risk-taking attitudes and behavior.

Motivations and Sexual Attitudes, Experiences, and Behavior of Sexuality Professionals

This study examined the motivations for entering the field and sexual attitudes, experiences, and behavior of an international group of sexuality professionals. Participants were 252 individuals attending the XVII World Congress of Sexology who completed a questionnaire in English, Spanish or French. Most participants’ reported professional rather than personal motivations for entering the field in addition to interest. On average, participants reported little sexual communication with their parents as children. About one-third had experienced unwanted sexual activity as a child. Participants were mostly accepting of a range of sexual activities, although they were less accepting of some behaviors than of others. Twelve of the participants who had engaged in sexual activity with a casual or anonymous partner in the previous 2 years had not used a condom consistently. Participants reported high sexual satisfaction and good sexual communication with their partner. Nevertheless, 45% of the women and 35% of the men reported regularly experiencing one or more sexual problems. Few participants reported that their profession affected their sexual functioning negatively; in contrast most reported that it had positive effects on their sexual functioning. These results suggest that there are few differences between sexuality professionals and the general public.

Perceptual asymmetries and stimulus dominance in dichotic listening with natural fricatives

Abstract The present study examined the psychometric properties and the pattern of stimulus dominance in a new task using natural fricatives as consonants in a dichotic consonant–vowel pairs task. The fricatives f, ʒ, s, ʃ, v, and z paired with the vowel a pronounced by a female speaker were presented dichotically to 69 participants (26 males, 43 females) in two sessions of 120 trials. Results revealed a large, reliable, and valid right ear advantage (REA). A pattern of stimulus dominance also emerged, suggesting some dominance on the global level for post-alveolar fricatives over other places of articulation. However, pair by pair examination of the dominance pattern showed a clear tendency for less frequently used fricatives to dominate over more frequently used fricatives. Finally, the significant REA persisted even when syllable pairs where dominance was obtained were considered separately. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for an understanding of stimulus dominance and future research directions with this novel task.