Why do I have trouble drawing the mirror image?

There is nothing wrong with you. And it certainly isn’t because you’re female. Perhaps another part of your brain is more developed (again, having nothing to do with your sex).

Some people are good at spatial relationships and some aren’t. You are probably good at something else.

Oh God. I can’t believe the number of times I used the word “trouble” in this question. Now that’s a true horror.

I am really good at flipping images around in my head (and am female). It took me a while to understand that everyone can’t do it. I think some of it is having spent a lot of time drawing and learning how to see (not how to draw). There is a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain that explains how our brains do these types of things and teaches you how to train your eye to see things in the manner necessary to be able to rotate them in your head.

I read a paper yesterday that found that about 75% of the variance in a 3D mental rotation task could be explained by circulating estrogen (negatively correlated with performance) and testosterone (positively correlated with performance).

But small Ns and stuff.

don’t hate me @Simone_De_Beauvoir

@nikipedia I do not, at all, hate you – you know this. Could her mother’s ability be explained in part due to changing hormone levels due to menopause?

Well I’m fairly certain my mother’s ability hasn’t increased as a part of aging in this aspect. I also didn’t in any way mean to imply that this Q had anything to do with my gender. WRT my mom, she’s an engineer and math expert and her training with advanced geometrical concepts gives her the ability to do things like this easily.

@PnL I don’t think your mom GOT the ability from her training. I think she already had the basic ability which lead her to that type of training because she was already sound in the fundamentals. That being said, it doesn’t mean that one can’t enhance ones skills (of whatever level) through training.

@Kayak8 Agree completely.