In the context of developmental psychology, boys are most likely to outperform girls in a(n):

• A. fine motor coordination activity
• B. emotional recognition assessment
• C. spatial reasoning task
• D. verbal fluency test

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key developmental psychology concepts related to cognitive abilities and gender differences. Research shows that boys and girls may develop certain skills at different rates or excel in different areas due to biological and environmental factors.
2. Step 2: Identify the types of tasks mentioned: fine motor coordination, emotional recognition, spatial reasoning, and verbal fluency. Each of these tasks taps into different cognitive or motor skills.
3. Step 3: Recall that fine motor coordination involves precise movements, often linked to activities like writing or manipulating small objects, where girls often show early advantages.
4. Step 4: Emotional recognition assessments measure the ability to identify and interpret emotions in others, a skill where girls typically perform better due to socialization and empathy development.
5. Step 5: Spatial reasoning tasks involve understanding and manipulating spatial relationships, such as mental rotation or navigation, where boys are generally found to outperform girls in developmental psychology studies.