Hunter-gatherer theory of spatial sex differences
Hunter-gatherer theory of spatial sex differences
Previous research has shown a male advantage in spatial
tests, e.g., 3-dimensional rotations.
Conclusion: males have better spatial abilities than females.
Silverman & Eals 1992: males and females have different
spatial competencies.
• evolutionary theory: division of labor during the Pleistocene
era whereby males functioned primarily as hunters, and
females as gatherers of plant food.
• So males should be good at orientation within a large and
unpredictable environment.
• And females should be good at learning the contents of
object arrays and relationships within these arrays.
• Males prefer orientation strategy, females prefer landmark
strategy.
Silverman et al 2007
Methods
Internet study (BBC)
250,000 participants in 226 countries
Tests:
• Object Location Memory (prediction F > M)
• 3-D Mental Rotation (prediction M > F)
OLM Test
OLM Test
OLM Test
3DMR Test
Silverman et al 2007
Farmers Market Study (New et al PRSL 2007)
Farmers Market Study (New et al PRSL 2007)
• Participants recruited near entrance to FM
• Told they could earn $10 (or $5 and UCSB tote bag) by
participating in ‘farmers’ market research’ (their cover story,
it does not refer to any spatial task)
• Asked age and how frequently they visited FM (control
variable), gender noted
• Participant led by circuitous route to 6 food stalls, where they
were given an item to eat.
• At each stall, participants were asked a set list of questions
which served to promote the cover story and were also
analyzed as possible predictors of pointing accuracy
• Questions: how do you like taste of this, how often do you
eat it, how attractive is the stall, how many times have you
purchased from this stall?
Farmers Market Study (New et al PRSL 2007)
Key measure: After visiting all 6 stalls, participants were
taken to a pointing device in the center of the market
area. They could not see stalls from that area. Board was
marked in 1-degree increments. Subject asked to aim the
pointer at each of the 6 food items.
Subject also asked
to self-assess his/her
general ‘sense of
direction’ on a 1-7
scale.
Market: 10 rows of
approximately 90
stalls.
Hypothesis 1: Are women more accurate than men at
pointing at newly learned food locations?
Yes. On average 9° more accurate (27% better than
men).
Female advantage
not due to women
having more
experience at FM
than men.
On self-assessment
of ‘sense of direction’
men > women
Self-assessment
predicted accuracy
within each sex.
H2: Do people remember the locations of higherquality foods more accurately?
Yes!
Conclusions
These two studies both show differences between the
sexes with respect to different spatial abilities.
Strong points: Cross-cultural testing in Silverman et
al, natural (field) experiment in New et al.
Weak points: Neither one removes the effects of
differential experience. These differences might arise
naturally to the extent that males and females tend to
pursue different activities during childhood. In that
case we wouldn’t need to postulate specific dedicated
neural modules. Perhaps these same tests should be
done on young boys and girls…