The local school board in Middletown recently asked that the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)be administered to all fifth grade students.They are particularly interested in the scores from the spatial relations and abstract reasoning sections.Based on the research into gender differences in cognitive abilities,you should expect that
A) the male students will score higher than the female students on both these two sections of the test.
B) the male students will score higher than the female students on the spatial relations section of the test.
C) the female students will score higher than the male students on both these two sections of the test.
D) the female students will score higher than the male students on the spatial relations section of the test.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research consistently shows that males tend to perform better on tests of spatial relations, while females tend to perform better on tests of verbal ability. This gender difference is thought to be influenced by both biological and environmental factors. Therefore, based on this research, one would expect that male students would score higher than female students on the spatial relations section of the DAT. However, there is no evidence to suggest that males would necessarily score higher than females on the abstract reasoning section.

The Local School Board in Middletown Recently Asked That the Differential