Drift Diffusion Modeling of Gender Differences in Mental Rotation Tasks that Emphasize either Speed or Accuracy

Meta-analytical data provide evidence for a gender difference favoring males on mental rotationtasks, especially under time pressure. Why might time pressure exaggerate this gender difference?Here we used drift diffusion modeling (DDM) to inform our understanding of the potentialmechanism(s) that underlie gender differences in mental rotation. Male and female adult participantsperformed a mental rotation task with two difficulty levels under conditions that emphasized eitheraccuracy or speed. DDM parameters, which included drift rates, decision thresholds, non-decisiontimes, and starting biases, were analyzed. We found consistent gender differences in decisionthresholds when the task emphasized speed, rather than accuracy. Less consistent were genderdifferences in drift rates, though effects still tended to be more pronounced under time pressure. Nogender differences in non-decision times or starting biases were consistently found. Implications oftime pressure on gender differences in mental rotation performance are discussed in relation toaffect and strategy.