Sex differences in route learning by children

Differences between men and women have been reported with respect to route- learning, but sex differences in children on these and related tasks have n ot been found. In this study, 51 children ages 5 to 12 years were required to learn a route on a map to criterion and then asked to recall landmarks o n that route. Boys made significantly fewer errors and took less time and f ewer trials to reach criterion in learning the route, and girls recalled mo re landmarks than boys. Significant main effects for age were also noted on all measures of route learning and landmark recall. These results suggest that the patterns of route learning that have been ascribed to women and me n are present in girls and boys.