Instrument type moderated the mental rotation gender-difference effect size but not the visualisation effect size¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Instrument type moderated mental rotation effect size magnitude, whereas the visualisation effect size was robust across instruments. → 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? · quant-synthesis · r?

Moderator analysis comparing mental rotation effect sizes across the PSVT:R and RIF instruments, and visualisation effect sizes across the DAT:SR and RIF instruments. The article reports "instrument type moderated mental rotation effect size magnitude"; no effect size for the moderation is printed.

"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¶

Related Claims¶

• Age moderates gender differences in both mental rotation and visualisation, with gaps continuing to grow during adolescence — related
• A small gender difference in visualisation favouring boys exists across adolescence and is robust across measurement instruments — related
• A medium gender difference in mental rotation favouring boys exists across adolescence and is already apparent at the beginning of adolescence — related
• Structural equation models of RIF platform data support mental rotation and visualisation task groups as two discrete factors — related