Object location memory: A direct test of the verbal memory hypothesis

Although the male advantage in traditional spatial abilities is well established, the female advantage in object location memory remains tentative. Object location memory is the only spatial ability that yields a female advantage, leading some to speculate that other factors, such as verbal memory, may solely account for the sex difference. The present experiment directly addressed the role of verbal memory using a novel object location memory task. Results suggest that the direction of the sex difference is context-specific, depending on the nature of the stimuli, and that verbal memory may account for the female bias in object location memory.