Perspective changing in WalCT and VR-WalCT: A gender difference study [WalCT – VR-WalCT: Gender differences]

• The Virtual Reality WalCT has been used to study change perspective.
• Studying the presence of gender-related differences in the virtual or real change perspective WalCT.
• Remembering a path from different points of view it is more difficult in virtual than in real WalCT.
• Women outperform men in real WalCT.
• Gender differences are explained by strategy used by men and women to recall spatial information.

We compared the ability of men and women to remember a path from different points of view both in “real” (WalCT) and in virtual reality environments (VR-WalCT). The main aim of the study was to compare the effects of real and virtual reality on recalling environment. A secondary aim was to detect the presence of gender-related differences in the two environments. On the basis of the literature, we did not expect differences between real and virtual WalCT. Moreover, we expected that men would perform better in both environments. Eighty college students (40 men) were assigned to real or virtual environments and had to learn four different paths and then to recall them from 8 different points of view. Results showed that when people have to remember a path from different points of view it is more difficult in a virtual than in a real environment, and that in a real environment women performed best. The results are discussed considering the different spatial strategy used by men and women to recall spatial information and on the basis of visuo-spatial working memory load.