GENDER-RELATED INFLUENCES OF ANXIETY ON TIME AND ERROR PERFORMANCE IN VISUOSPATIAL MAZE-LEARNING

Gender differences in learning strategy and performance in a spatial orientation task were analysed in relation to psychosocial factors. 45 girls and 54 boys aged from 10 to 17 performed a maze ten in a threedimensional maze which they could walk through. Individual anxiety, achievement motivation and task specific motivations were assessed. On average, girls moved through the maze more cautiously and slowly than boys and needed more time for a stare-to-goal-run. Accuracy performance (errors / run) was similar for both sexes. In the second run girls even tended to perfom the correct start-to-goal-run slightly better than boys. Higher anxiety scores were assessed in the girls' group and only for them correlations between anxiety and speed or time performance were detected, i.e. the higher the anxiety the slower the speed. In contrast, time motivation increased boy's speed which was nearly unaffected by anxiety. Anxiety and competition can, to a great extent, explain gender differences in quantitative performance (speed, time) in visuospatial orientation. Gender-related learning strategies are developed in early childhood and youth and have to be taken into account when learning tasks with both sexes are carried out.