A recent study indicates that playing video games can increase the spatial skills in both men and women, and may also allow women to catch up to men.
Recent research at the University of Toronto discovered that an inherent difference in spatial skills between the sexes is reduced by playing video games. According to the study, women score lower than men when it comes to spatial tasks, an ability necessary for such tasks as reading a map and advanced mathematics.
"On average, women are not quite as good at rapidly switching attention among different objects and this may be one reason why women do not do as well on spatial tasks.”
However, continued research indicated that while both sexes can improve their spatial skills through playing video games, the ability in women improved to a level that allowed them to “catch up to the men.” In addition, performance in both sexes was maintained when their abilities were assessed again after five months.
Perhaps, as Professor Ian Spence suggests, “bringing the spatial skills of young women up to the level of their male counterparts could help to change the gender balance” in fields like mathematical science and engineering.” That’s certainly a more mature—and helpful—response than derivative wisecracks about the driving ability of women which are heating up the comment boards.
The study is published in the October edition of Psychological Science.