Sex-related differences and visual-spatial mental imagery as factors affecting symbolic motor skill acquisition

The ability of males and females to use visual-spatial imagery as a facilitator of symbolic motor skill acquisition was investigated. Subjects, ordered by gender into control and mental imagery groups, performed 15 trials on a mirrored drawing task. The results indicated that, although both male and female mental imagery groups performed the task more skillfully than the control groups, the male mental imagery group scores over the early stages of performance were better as compared to the female mental imagery group scores. This difference was eradicated during the latter stages of performance. The findings, in addition to supporting the positive effects of mental imagery, lend support to the hypothesis that sex-related differences in selected visual-spatial tasks may be amendable through training followed by practice.