Gender Differences in the Effects of Acute Stress on Spatial Ability

Abstract

Although reports that men and women differ in spatial ability are common, recent research examining stress effects on spatial navigation have not included analyses of gender differences. The current study investigated cue perception and mental rotation after an acute cold-water hand immersion stress in 156 undergraduates from the western United States. Gender differences were observed in spatial performance and spatial anxiety. Discriminant analysis revealed that distal gradient cue identification and mental rotation reaction times as well as spatial anxiety differed among men and women exposed to the acute stress and their warm-water hand immersion controls. These results indicate that stress differentially alters spatial performance in men and women, and underscores the importance of assessing gender differences when examining spatial ability.

Factors related to sex differences in navigating a computerized maze

“…Others have previously reported higher spatial anxiety, as measured by the SAS or questionnaires specific to the individual study, in women compared to men (Bryant, 1982;Castelli et al, 2008;Gabriel et al, 2011;Lawton, 1994;Lawton & Kallai, 2002;Malinowski & Gillespie, 2001;and Schmitz, 1997). Lower navigation-related anxiety has been correlated with frequent video game play (Tkacz & LaForce, 1998), accurate heading direction estimation in real-world (Lawton et al, 1996) and computerized navigation tasks (Mueller et al, 2009), faster completion and fewer errors in a model town navigation task (Hund & Minarik, 2009), faster completion of a real-world maze (Schmitz, 1997), and preference for route vs. landmark-based navigation (Schmitz, 1999).…”

“…Men report a preference for orientation-based (e.g., cardinal directions), whereas women report a preference for routebased (e.g., left-right turns) wayfinding strategies (e.g., Lawton, 1994). Men score lower than women on measures of environmental navigation-related anxiety (Bryant, 1982;Castelli, Corazzini, & Giuliano, 2008;Gabriel, Hong, Chandra, Lonborg, & Barkley, 2011;Lawton, 1994;Lawton & Kallai, 2002;Malinowski & Gillespie, 2001;and Schmitz, 1997). Higher scores by men indicate they have a greater self-reported environmental spatial ability (e.g., sense of direction) than women (e.g., Turano et al, 2009).…”

Wayfinding: A simple concept, a complex process

“…Spatial anxiety is also experienced differently, with women showing greater spatial anxiety than men (Barkley & Dye, 2007;Gabriel, Hong, Chandra, Lonborg, & Barkley, 2011;Lawton & Kallai, 2002;Malinowski & Gillespie, 2001). It has been shown that the spatial performance and the effects of stress are negatively correlated (Quaiser-Pohl, Geiser, & Lehmann, 2006;Titze, Heil, & Jansen, 2008).…”

“…There are conflicting results on the effect of oestrogen levels in women during the different phases of their menstrual cycle and their spatial performance (Chiarello, McMahon, & Schaefer, 1989;Gabriel et al, 2011;Halpern & Tan, 2001). Brain organization has also been attributed to the differences in the spatial performance.…”

“…Jacobs (2009), Fortenbaugh et al (2007) Men score significantly higher in mental rotation, spatial perception tests and dynamic spatial ability.Cherney and Collaer (2005), Collaer andHill(2006), Halpern and Tan (2001), Jonasson (2005), Lawton (2010), Linn and Petersen (1985), Silverman et al (2007), Titze et al (2008) Women show greater spatial anxiety than men. Higher anxiety has a negative impact on navigational ability and spatial performance.Barkley and Dye(2007),Gabriel et al (2011),Lawton and Kallai (2002),Malinowski and Gillespie (2001) Women prefer exact, pinpoint cues (e.g. landmarks) to identify a visual scene and form spatial orientation Barkley and Dye (2007),Chai and .…”