Which of the following observations weakens the evolutionary explanation of gender differences in spatial abilities?
A)There frequently was a sex-based division of labor in ancient hunting and gathering societies.
B)Males are encouraged to engage in activities that provide more practice with spatial tasks.
C)Males frequently perform slightly better than females on tasks involving mental rotation of images and navigation in space.
D)Females perform slightly better than males on tasks involving memory for locations.

Question

Which of the following observations weakens the evolutionary explanation of gender differences in spatial abilities? ​
A)There frequently was a sex-based division of labor in ancient hunting and gathering societies.
B)Males are encouraged to engage in activities that provide more practice with spatial tasks.
C)Males frequently perform slightly better than females on tasks involving mental rotation of images and navigation in space.
D)Females perform slightly better than males on tasks involving memory for locations.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

DB) The observation that males are encouraged to engage in activities that provide more practice with spatial tasks suggests that social and cultural factors, rather than evolutionary ones, might explain gender differences in spatial abilities. This weakens the evolutionary explanation by proposing an alternative cause.D) The fact that females perform slightly better than males on tasks involving memory for locations suggests that the gender difference in spatial abilities is not universally in favor of males, as might be expected from an evolutionary perspective focused on hunting and navigation. This introduces complexity to the evolutionary explanation and suggests that other factors may be at play.

Which of the Following Observations Weakens the Evolutionary Explanation of Gender