Abstract

SPATIAL ABILITY: THE FORECASTER OF ANATOMY KNOWLEGDE AND CO-RELATION OF SPATIAL ABILITY AND ANATOMY KNOWLEDGE BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE PHYSIOTHERAPY COLLEGE STUDENTS – AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Maria Agnella I.*, Megala K., Dr. Madhumathi K. and Dr. Senthil Selvam

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Spatial ability is the ability to understand three dimensional structures, position and manipulation of objects. High spatial ability would build the knowledge of anatomy more easily, more accurately and easier access to it. Objective: This study is done to investigate the co-relation of spatial ability and anatomy knowledge between male and female college students. Materials and Methods: A total of 78 physiotherapy students (39-males and 39-females) are included in this study. The redrawn Vandenberg & Kuse Mental Rotation test was administered. Result: The mean MRT scores for males and females for each scoring criteria t-test for independent samples confined that males performed better than females. In MRT the males had stronger co-relation(r=0.48) than females(r=0.19). Conclusion: The results concluded that males have more spatial ability than females and in the aspect of anatomical knowledge.

Keywords: Spatial ability, gender difference, mental rotation test, visual perception.