title: Walking in the Corsi test: which type of memory do you need?
abstract: Sex differences are often reported in spatial abilities. However, some studies show conflicting results, which can be ascribed to the complexity of the variables involved in the visuo-spatial domain. Until a few years ago, it was widely accepted that men outperformed women on almost all spatial tasks. However, recently some studies [A. Postma, G. Jager, R.P.C. Kessels, H.P.F. Koppeschaar, J. van Honk, Sex differences for selective forms of spatial memory, Brain Cogn. 54 (2004) 24-34; D.H. McBurney, S.J.C. Gaulin, T. Devineni, C. Adams, Superior spatial memory of women: stronger evidence for the gathering hypothesis, Evol. Hum. Behav. 18 (1997) 165-174; Q. Rahman, G.D. Wilson, S. Abrahams, Sexual orientation related differences in spatial memory, J. Int. Neuropsychol. Soc. 9 (2003) 376-383] found sex differences for selective forms of spatial memory and described a female advantage in specific spatial abilities. In this paper, we studied sex differences by testing object locations and route memories with the Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT), one of the non-verbal tasks most used in clinical settings, and its modified, large-scale version. Our results showed a performance advantage for males in both tests and a more homogeneous pattern of memory in females.
authors.affiliation: Facoltà Psicologia, Università dell'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy. laura.piccardi@cc.univaq.it
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Piccardi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iaria
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianchini
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zompanti
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guariglia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*