Effects of Spatial Intelligence and Gender on Wayfinding Strategy and Performance

In a wayfinding field study the effects of spatial intelligence and gender on wayfinding strategy and the amount of configurational wayfinding knowledge were investigated. This was done in an attempt to shed some additional light on the mixed evidence regarding the precise role of these factors yielded by previous studies. Subjects were asked to describe a route in a familiar city using landmark-based directions and route-based directions (e.g., go-left, go-straight). Configurational knowledge was measured by having subjects position a number of well-known buildings on a schematic map of the same city. Familiarity with the city was used in the analyses as a covariate. Results show that men tend to report more route-based directions, relative to landmark-based directions, than women do. Men also have better configurational knowledge. These effects could not be attributed to the person's score on a spatial intelligence test and the person's familiarity with the city. However, spatial intelligence was not related to the type of wayfinding directions preferred (landmark-based or route-based), nor to the quality of configurational knowledge. Practical and theoretical implications are indicated.