Comments | differenceblog: Sexuality and mental rotation

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Sexuality and mental rotation

Jun 04, 2007 08:22

Judy Skatssoon (6/4/2007), writing for news.com.au, says that the University of Warwick has "dealt heterosexual women a final indignity." Skatssoon is referring to research by Michael Tlauka that found differences in mental rotation ability, with straight men scoring the highest while straight women scored the lowest. However, although the news ( Read more... )

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amberite June 12 2007, 07:50:57 UTC

On mental rotation, I'm kinda so-so. I have in fact turned maps upside down to read them, though only when I'm in a town where north is downhill and south is up. I find that the degree to which map-reading is easy for me is linked to the degree to which the territory is on a flat plane.

On other spatial tasks (distance measuring, furniture arrangement) I frequently outperform both my partners and have since before transition was a gleam in my eye. My partners are one cisgendered butch woman and one mostly-straight sissy guy. In one memorable incident I suggested a positioning for the TV; they both spent considerable time trying other locations I knew wouldn't work, and then wound up with... the one I'd suggested in the first place.

Could it be that poor map reading is actually linked to heightened awareness of up and down, of the shape and dimension in real life that doesn't occur on a map?

I have no bloody idea! :-)

I haven't noticed any difference in spatial perception since I went on T, almost two months ago. (I almost wrote 'moths ago.' This is my brain on beer.) I have noticed that I have more of a tendency/willingness to physically move objects around, but I'm pretty sure that's because I can now lift the bloody things. (Hubris threw my back out two days ago though.)

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