Gender Differences versus Hand Preferences in Spatial Ability among a Nigerian Sample

Abstract

Twenty (20) males and 20 females, aged 14 - 19, of which 26  demonstrate right-hand preference and 14 left-hand preference, participated in a quasi-experiment, which investigated gender differences and hand preferences in spatial ability among senior secondary school students in Nigeria. Two (2) hypotheses are tested in the study. First, it was hypothesized that male students will outperform female students on the spatial task; and second, that students who showed left-hand preference will outperform students who preferred the use of the  right-hand. Latency and number of incorrect responses on the Missionaries and Cannibals problem were used to measure spatial ability, and data generated by these measures were analyzed with an omnibus test. Result failed to support the first hypothesis. The negligible gender difference in spatial ability among senior secondary school students in Nigeria is partly attributed to the promotion of gender equality, which encourages the girl-child to take the ‘back seat’ no more. The result confirmed the second hypothesis; students who preferred the use of left-hand solved the Missionaries and Cannibals problem better than students who tended to use the right-hand. These results were discussed, and we argue that left-hand preference seem to be a better determinant of spatial ability than gender among Nigerian senior secondary schools students.

Keywords: Cognitive ability; Gender differences; Hand preferences; Hemispheric specialization; Missionaries and Cannibals problem; Spatial ability