Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 S.W. 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
Cogn Res Princ Implic. 2020 Mar 17;5(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s41235-020-00220-x.
Anyone who has ever found themselves lost while driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood or forgotten where they parked their car can appreciate the importance of being able to navigate their environment. Navigation, or wayfinding, is a large-scale spatial ability that involves keeping track of the relative positions of objects and features in space, which allows for determining the path to a goal location. Early experiences shape spatial skill development, and research finds sex differences in spatial behaviors from preschool through adulthood, with males consistently outperforming females. The basis for sex differences in spatial aptitude is still debated, but explanations include differences in childhood spatial experience, the use of strategies for solving large-scale spatial problems, and spatial anxiety. The current study seeks to understand childhood wayfinding factors that may influence sex and individual differences in wayfinding strategies and wayfinding anxiety in adulthood.
One hundred fifty-nine undergraduate psychology students reported their childhood wayfinding experience (i.e., time spent outside, distance traveled), current use of wayfinding strategies (i.e., route strategy, orientation strategy), and current wayfinding anxiety and general anxiety levels.
Independent samples t tests revealed that, compared with females, males reported spending more time outside and traveling farther distances as children, having less current wayfinding anxiety and route strategy use, and having more current orientation strategy use. Mediation analyses found that distance traveled, but not time spent outdoors, during childhood mediated sex differences in route strategy use and wayfinding anxiety in adults, even when controlling for general anxiety. Furthermore, when controlling for participant sex and general anxiety, current wayfinding anxiety mediated the relationship between distance traveled during childhood and route strategy use in adults.
The current findings provide potential environmental explanations for sex and individual differences in large-scale spatial behaviors, including wayfinding. Specifically, sex differences in early wayfinding experience may explain why males and females develop different strategies for navigating and different levels of wayfinding anxiety. Furthermore, regardless of sex, allowing children to explore and navigate their outdoor environments away from home may help lessen their fears about navigating and, in turn, improve the strategies they choose to traverse unfamiliar territories.
任何曾经在不熟悉的街区开车迷路或忘记自己把车停在哪里的人，都能体会到能够在环境中导航的重要性。导航，即寻路，是一种大规模的空间能力，涉及到跟踪空间中物体和特征的相对位置，从而确定通往目标位置的路径。早期经验塑造了空间技能的发展，研究发现，从学前到成年，男性在空间行为上存在性别差异，表现为男性始终优于女性。空间能力的性别差异的基础仍存在争议，但解释包括儿童时期空间经验的差异、解决大规模空间问题的策略的使用以及空间焦虑。本研究旨在了解儿童寻路因素，这些因素可能会影响成年后寻路策略和寻路焦虑的性别和个体差异。
159 名心理学专业本科生报告了他们的儿童寻路经历（即户外活动时间、旅行距离）、当前使用的寻路策略（即路线策略、方向策略）以及当前的寻路焦虑和一般焦虑水平。
独立样本 t 检验显示，与女性相比，男性报告说他们在儿童时期花更多的时间在户外活动，旅行的距离更远，他们当前的寻路焦虑和路线策略使用较少，当前的方向策略使用更多。中介分析发现，儿童时期旅行的距离，而不是户外活动时间，介导了成年后路线策略使用和寻路焦虑的性别差异，即使控制了一般焦虑。此外，当控制参与者的性别和一般焦虑时，当前的寻路焦虑中介了儿童时期旅行距离与成年后路线策略使用之间的关系。
本研究结果为大规模空间行为（包括寻路）的性别和个体差异提供了潜在的环境解释。具体来说，早期寻路经验的性别差异可能解释了为什么男性和女性发展出不同的导航策略和不同程度的寻路焦虑。此外，无论性别如何，让儿童在远离家庭的户外环境中探索和导航，可能有助于减少他们对导航的恐惧，从而改善他们选择穿越陌生领地的策略。
