Gender differences in acquisition of environmental knowledge related to wayfinding behavior, spatial anxiety and self-estimated environmental competencies

This study investigated gender differences in wayfinding and representation of an unfamiliar building. Thirty-two white German adults (undergraduates, graduates, academic staff carpenters, social workers) carried out three wa yfinding runs, each followed by a representation task either of drawing a m ap or of writing a description of the environment. Self-estimation of spati al anxiety and environmental competencies was assessed before the task. Men recalled more route directions in maps and descriptions than women. Indepe ndent from element quantity, women preferred landmarks to route directions under both conditions. Men preferred mixed representations with similar pro portions of landmarks and route directions in their first and second repres entation and showed a weak landmark preference only in the last representat ion Route direction preferences related to higher speed in wayfinding (more men) and higher self-estimation of wayfinding competence. Landmark prefere nces related, in women only, to higher self-estimated levels of spatial anx iety. Speed in wayfinding, self-estimation of competencies, and spatial anx iety overlapped predictability of gender on differences in environmental re presentation.