SPATIAL ABILITY IN CHILDRENS PLAY WITH LEGO BLOCKS

Sex differences in spatial ability have been argued to originate from sex differences in children's play preferences. Child (30 boys and 20 girls) were asked to construct a specific three-dimensional model usin g Lego blocks and were also given the Shepard and Metzler test of ment al rotation. Those who completed the Lego model scored significantly h igher in spatial ability than those who did not. Constructional abilit y was also related to errors made during the construction of the model , but spatial ability was the best predictor of completion of the mode l.