Men and Women Differ in Object Memory but Not Performance of a Virtual Radial Maze.

Abstract

The present study examined sex differences in object memory by using 2-dimensional object arrays and in spatial memory by using a computerized virtual 12-arm radial maze. Virtual T-maze and water maze tasks were also used to examine sex differences in the use of spatial and nonspatial strategies during navigation. Women significantly outperformed men in recalling the locations and identities of objects. However, the sexes did not differ in the commission of working memory and reference memory errors in the radial maze or in the use of particular navigational strategies. Because arms in the radial maze may become associated with specific extramaze cues, the superior object memory demonstrated by women may have eliminated the typical male advantage found in spatial navigation tasks.