Effect of Practice on Laterality in a Mental Rotation Task

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of practice on the lateralization of mental rotation skills. Forty-six females and 46 males completed four blocks of 64 trials in a lateralized mental rotation task. Results revealed a reduction in reaction time and error rate across blocks, thus demonstrating a practice effect. A shift from a right hemisphere advantage to a left hemisphere advantage across blocks of trials was also found. The results are discussed in terms of their implication for hypotheses linking laterality and training. Practical implications for laterality research are also discussed.