SEX-DIFFERENCES ON BARTELS TASK - AN INVESTIGATION INTO PERCEPTION OFREAL AND DEPICTED DISTANCES

A new method derived from Bartel's (1958) studies was used to investig ate sex differences in spatial perception. Bartel employed two related tasks; one of these tasks called for responses to a pictorial stimulu s representing spatial arrangement in perspective and the other for re sponses to an analogous task presented in three dimensions. Modified f orms of both these tasks were used. Consistent differences between men and women were found, the men showing greater distance constancy in r elation both to real and to depicted distances. In addition a decline of such constancy with age was observed. The pictorial task was also u sed to test two groups of students of architecture: one relatively ine xperienced and the other more experienced with the discipline, on the assumption that experience of spatial judgments might influence perfor mance on this task. It was found that whilst familiarity did not affec t responses there was a consistent difference between responses of men and women.