Effects of Fetal Testosterone on Visuospatial Ability

This study investigated whether fetal testosterone (FT) measured from second trimester amniotic fluid was related to specific
aspects of visuospatial ability, in children aged 7–10 years (35 boys, 29 girls). A series of tasks were used: the children’s
Embedded Figures Test (EFT) (a test of attention to detail), a ball targeting task (measuring hand-eye coordination), and
a computerized mental rotation task (measuring rotational ability). FT was a significant predictor for EFT scores in both
boys and girls, with boys also showing a clear advantage for this task. No significant sex differences were observed in targeting.
Boys scored higher than girls on mental rotation. However, no significant relationships were observed between FT and targeting
or mental rotation. Girls’ performance on the mental rotation and targeting tasks was significantly related to age, indicating
that these tasks may have been too difficult for the younger children. These results indicate that FT has a significant role
in some aspects of cognitive development but that further work is needed to understand its effect on the different aspects
of visuospatial ability.