A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students
ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the sex and task effects in mental rotation (MR) among Chinese primary school students, employing behavioral assessments and functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for a comprehensive analysis. Method The sample consisted of 62 Grade 4 and 5 students a...
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Wiley
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Brain and Behavior |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70358 |
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| author | Dandan Wu Jinfeng Yang Zhi Hong Wan Yining Shen Qianming Liu Jinghui Zhang Simin Cao Hui Li |
| author_facet | Dandan Wu Jinfeng Yang Zhi Hong Wan Yining Shen Qianming Liu Jinghui Zhang Simin Cao Hui Li |
| author_sort | Dandan Wu |
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| description | ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the sex and task effects in mental rotation (MR) among Chinese primary school students, employing behavioral assessments and functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for a comprehensive analysis. Method The sample consisted of 62 Grade 4 and 5 students aged between 9.58 and 11.33 (Mage = 10.604, SD = 0.35). Participants completed two MR tasks: MR1, which required the rotation of 24 figures, and MR2, which involved the rotation of 16 English letters. fNIRS was employed to measure neural activation in specific brain areas, and behavioral performance was assessed alongside brain activity. Findings Behavioral data revealed no significant effects of sex or task type on the performance of MR1 or MR2. However, the fNIRS results demonstrated notable sex and task effects. Specifically, boys exhibited significantly higher brain activation in Brodmann Areas (BAs) 6, 9, and 46 than girls. In contrast, girls showed significantly more activation in BA 46 during the MR1 figure rotation task. This suggests that while behavioral tasks showed no differences, neuroimaging revealed underlying neural disparities. Conclusion The discrepancy between behavioral and fNIRS findings reveals a tendency in behavioral studies to accept a false negative, resulting in Type II errors. While neuroimaging data indicate substantial differences not reflected in behavioral measures, this challenges the reliability of null results typically associated with traditional behavioral paradigms. This study highlights the critical need to integrate neuroimaging techniques to understand cognitive processes better. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of reevaluating conventional interpretations of behavioral data to ensure a more comprehensive view of mental function. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc174bcba3114cd586dd67cc5f1e6d8c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2162-3279 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-bc174bcba3114cd586dd67cc5f1e6d8c2025-08-20T02:11:36ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792025-03-01153n/an/a10.1002/brb3.70358A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary StudentsDandan Wu0Jinfeng Yang1Zhi Hong Wan2Yining Shen3Qianming Liu4Jinghui Zhang5Simin Cao6Hui Li7Department of Early Childhood Education The Education University of Hong Kong Hong Kong ChinaDepartment of Medical Imaging Henan Provincial People's Hospital and People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou ChinaDepartment of Early Childhood Education The Education University of Hong Kong Hong Kong ChinaShanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education Shanghai Normal University Shanghai ChinaShanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education Shanghai Normal University Shanghai ChinaShanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education Shanghai Normal University Shanghai ChinaShanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education Shanghai Normal University Shanghai ChinaDepartment of Early Childhood Education The Education University of Hong Kong Hong Kong ChinaABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the sex and task effects in mental rotation (MR) among Chinese primary school students, employing behavioral assessments and functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for a comprehensive analysis. Method The sample consisted of 62 Grade 4 and 5 students aged between 9.58 and 11.33 (Mage = 10.604, SD = 0.35). Participants completed two MR tasks: MR1, which required the rotation of 24 figures, and MR2, which involved the rotation of 16 English letters. fNIRS was employed to measure neural activation in specific brain areas, and behavioral performance was assessed alongside brain activity. Findings Behavioral data revealed no significant effects of sex or task type on the performance of MR1 or MR2. However, the fNIRS results demonstrated notable sex and task effects. Specifically, boys exhibited significantly higher brain activation in Brodmann Areas (BAs) 6, 9, and 46 than girls. In contrast, girls showed significantly more activation in BA 46 during the MR1 figure rotation task. This suggests that while behavioral tasks showed no differences, neuroimaging revealed underlying neural disparities. Conclusion The discrepancy between behavioral and fNIRS findings reveals a tendency in behavioral studies to accept a false negative, resulting in Type II errors. While neuroimaging data indicate substantial differences not reflected in behavioral measures, this challenges the reliability of null results typically associated with traditional behavioral paradigms. This study highlights the critical need to integrate neuroimaging techniques to understand cognitive processes better. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of reevaluating conventional interpretations of behavioral data to ensure a more comprehensive view of mental function.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70358behavioral measuresfNIRSgender effectmental rotationtask effectType II error |
| spellingShingle | Dandan Wu Jinfeng Yang Zhi Hong Wan Yining Shen Qianming Liu Jinghui Zhang Simin Cao Hui Li A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students Brain and Behavior behavioral measures fNIRS gender effect mental rotation task effect Type II error |
| title | A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students |
| title_full | A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students |
| title_fullStr | A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students |
| title_short | A Behavioral and fNIRS Comparative Study of Gender and Task Differences in Mental Rotation Among Primary Students |
| title_sort | behavioral and fnirs comparative study of gender and task differences in mental rotation among primary students |
| topic | behavioral measures fNIRS gender effect mental rotation task effect Type II error |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70358 |
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