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Cited by 26Spatial Cognition and NavigationSexual Differentiation and DisordersCognitive Abilities and Testing

Prenatal testosterone does not explain sex differences in spatial ability

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Toivainen, Teemu, Pannini, Giulia, Papageorgiou, Kostas A., Malanchini, Margherita, Rimfeld, Kaili, Shakeshaft, Nicholas, Kovas, Yulia·2018·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-31704-yPMC PMC6135826
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Abstract

The most consistent sex differences in cognition are found for spatial ability, in which males, on average, outperform females. Utilizing a twin design, two studies have shown that females with male co-twins perform better than females with female co-twins on a mental rotation task. According to the Twin Testosterone Transfer hypothesis (TTT) this advantage is due to in-uterine transmission of testosterone from males to females. The present study tested the TTT across 14 different spatial ability measures, including mental rotation tasks, in a large sample of 19–21-year-old twins. Males performed significantly better than females on all spatial tasks, with effect sizes ranging from η2 = 0.02 to η2 = 0.16. Females with a male co-twin outperformed females with a female co-twin in two of the tasks. The effect sizes for both differences were negligible (η2 < 0.02). Contrary to the previous studies, our results gave no indication that prenatally transferred testosterone, from a male to a female twin, influences sex differences in spatial ability.

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Authors
Toivainen, T., Pannini, G., Papageorgiou, K. A., Malanchini, M., Rimfeld, K., Shakeshaft, N., & Kovas, Y.
Affiliations
  • Goldsmiths University of London (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Kovas, Yulia
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2018-09-12
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
13653-13653
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-018-31704-y
PMC
PMC6135826
OpenAlex
W2889162143
Cited by
26
References
68
Citations by year
2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
FWCI
1.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Goldsmiths Research Online (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Tomsk State University
  • Medical Research Council (G0901245, MR/M021475/1)
  • Economic and Social Research Council (ES/J500124/, ES/J500124/1, 1768126, J500124)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Keywords
prenatal testosterone, mental rotation, sex differences in cognition
MeSH terms
Adult, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Sex Characteristics, Testosterone, Twins, Dizygotic, Twins, Monozygotic, Young Adult, Memory, Long-Term, Spatial Navigation

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