Age moderates gender differences in both mental rotation and visualisation, with gaps continuing to grow during adolescence¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Age was a significant moderator of gender differences for both mental rotation and visualisation, with the difference continuing to grow during adolescence. → Buckley 2026

Evidence¶

Buckley 2026¶

Buckley, J., Sorby, S., Duffy, G., Maresch, G., & Power, J. (2026). Gender Differences in Mental Rotation and Visualisation Across Adolescence: Large Scale Evidence from the United States, Ireland, and Austria with Single-Paper Meta-Analyses. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10149-0

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Moderator analysis within the single-paper meta-analyses of the pooled US, Irish, and Austrian datasets. The article reports that "Age was a significant moderator for both" factors; no moderator effect size is printed in the available text.

"Age was a significant moderator for both, indicating that the gen - der difference continues to grow during adolescence, and instrument type moderated mental rotation effect size magnitude but the effect size for visualisation was robust across instruments."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Age and Developmental Stage — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it
• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Instrument type moderated the mental rotation gender-difference effect size but not the visualisation effect size — related
• A medium gender difference in mental rotation favouring boys exists across adolescence and is already apparent at the beginning of adolescence — related
• A small gender difference in visualisation favouring boys exists across adolescence and is robust across measurement instruments — related