Many studies deal with solution strategies in mental-rotation tests. The approaches rangefrom global analysis, attention to object parts, holistic and piecemeal strategy to a combinedstrategy. Other studies do not speak of strategies, but of holistic or piecemeal processes oreven of holistic or piecemeal rotation. The methodological approach used here is to identifymental-rotation strategies via gaze patterns derived from eye-tracking data when solvingchronometric mental-rotation tasks with gender-stereotyped objects. The mental-rotationtest consists of 3 male-stereotyped objects (locomotive, hammer, wrench) and 3 femalestereotypedobjects (pram, hand mirror, brush) rotated at eight different angles. The sampleconsisted of 16 women and 10 men (age: M=21.58; SD=4.21). The results of a qualitativeanalysis with two individual objects (wrench and brush) showed four different gaze patterns.These gaze patterns appeared with different frequency in the two objects and correlateddifferently with performance and response time. The results indicate either an objectorientedor an egocentric mental-rotation strategy behind the gaze patterns. In general, anew methodological approach has been developed to identify mental-rotation strategiesbottom-up which can also be used for other stimulus types.
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