Sexual dimorphism in the 2D/4D ratio and its relation to mental rotation performance

Abstract

A reliable sexual dimorphism exists for the 2D/4D ratio, where 2D denotes index finger length and 4D denotes ring finger length. Several reports suggest that this dimorphism is correlated with cognitive performance in domains where sex differences are observed, such as mental rotation performance. However, this study did not find a significant relation between these variables in a sample comprised of 237 males and 399 females. The actual values of the 2D/4D ratios in our almost exclusively Caucasian sample are lower than those reported for most Caucasian populations, and they are closer to values reported for Black African samples.