Difficulty of a spatial task and sex difference in gains from practice.

The influence of practice on a difficult spatial task in a small sample of 11 men and 16 women was investigated. Participants were tested on a rotated embedded figures task modified from the Gottschaldt Hidden Figure Test prior to being given practice in identifying rotated and nonrotated embedded figures. One week after the pretest and practice session, the posttest was given. In the small sample studied, the number of correctly identified rotated figures on the posttest was significantly increased relative to pretest scores for men and women. However, the tendency for women to score higher than men after practice was not significant.