Estradiol and mental rotation: Relation to dimensionality, difficulty, or angular disparity?
Estradiol and mental rotation: Relation to dimensionality, difficulty, or angular disparity?
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DOI：
10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.12.016
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发表时间：
2014-03-01
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Korman, Jennifer M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hampson, Elizabeth;Levy-Cooperman, Na'ama;Korman, Jennifer M.
一些研究报告称，女性在月经期进行空间旋转测试时的表现要好于月经周期的高雌二醇期。这些影响是有争议的，因为几乎所有关于月经周期可变性的报告都依赖于一项单一的测试，即心理旋转测试(MRT，Vandenberg和Kuse，1978)。在目前的研究中，我们调查了MRT的关键特征，这些特征可能与其与雌二醇水平有关。我们假设，对于具有相同特征的其他任务，可以证明它们之间存在关联。44名年龄在20-38岁、受教育程度和一般能力相匹配的女性在一系列空间测试中被评估为月经周期的低雌二醇期(n=24)或高雌二醇期(n=20)，这些测试在维度、旋转平面、角度差异和努力程度方面都有所不同。唾液用于雌二醇和孕酮的定量。研究发现，在MRT和心理旋转任务中，低雌二醇水平与明显更高的准确率有关，这项任务需要大角度旋转，但只使用限于图片平面的二维物体表征和旋转。相比之下，使用相同刺激的任务只需要很小的旋转角度，并没有表现出雌二醇效应。在知觉闭合测试中也发现了组内差异。结果证实雌激素效应不限于MRT，并确定旋转元件，以及图形知觉的各个方面，作为可能的过程，可能对雌激素作出反应。这些发现通过显示雌二醇和离散的空间过程之间的联系，促进了我们的理解。讨论了理解在捷运上普遍观察到的明显性别差异的起源的含义。(C)2014 Elsevier Inc.保留所有权利。
Several studies have reported that performance on spatial rotation tests is better at menses than at high estradiol phases of the menstrual cycle in women. These effects are debated because nearly all reports of menstrual cycle variability have relied on a single test, the Mental Rotations Test (MRT, Vandenberg and Kuse, 1978). In the present study, we investigated key features of the MRT that might be responsible for its association with estradiol levels. We hypothesized that associations could be demonstrated for other tasks that share the same characteristics. Forty-four women ages 20-38 years, matched on education and general ability, were assessed at low (n = 24) or high (n = 20) estradiol stages of the menstrual cycle on a set of spatial tests that varied in dimensionality, plane of rotation, angular disparity, and effortfulness. Saliva was used to quantify estradiol and progesterone. Low estradiol was found to be associated with significantly better accuracy on the MRT and also on a mental rotation task that required large angles of rotation but employed only two-dimensional object representations and rotations limited to the picture plane. In contrast, a task using identical stimuli that required only small angles of rotation did not show an estradiol effect. A group difference also was seen on a test of perceptual closure. The results confirm that the estradiol effect is not limited to the MRT, and identify the rotational element, but also aspects of figural perception, as possible processes that may be responsive to estrogens. These findings advance our understanding by showing an association between estradiol and discrete spatial processes. Implications for understanding the origins of the robust sex difference commonly observed on the MRT are discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.