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Women may struggle with maps but they are better at remembering routes than men

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doglady:

Women may not be able to read maps but they make better navigators than men if they have been to the place before, claims a new study.
 

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Published: 1:45PM BST 02 May 2010

Researchers have found that while men are better at finding new places, women are much better at returning to them at a later date.

They believe it is because women are much better at remembering landmarks than men and so do not have to work out the route again.
 
Scientists believe it is to do with the different roles men and women adopted in early hunter gathering societies.

While men were good at hunting down randomly moving prey, women were much better at remembering where the best places were to find growing food such as fruit and nuts.

For the study, published in Evolution and Human Behaviour, used the population of a remote Mexican village and asked the men and women to collect mushrooms.

Researchers found that while both came back with the same amount of food, the men had used 70 per cent more energy in collecting it than the women.

Luis Pacheco-Cobos, who led the research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, said: “These findings show that women perform better and more readily adopt search strategies appropriate to a gathering lifestyle than men.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7668603/Women-may-struggle-with-maps-but-they-are-better-at-remembering-routes-than-men.html

Badattituud:
I have a heck of a time finding places for the first time.  But I rarely have trouble going back to somewhere I've been before.

I'd heard before that men take directions based on direction (north/south/west/east) and women more on landmarks, so when giving directions to or getting them for someone else, I try my best to utilize both NSWE/RL along with landmarks.   (turn right (north) on Soandso Ave. - just after the used car lot with the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube   man)

noone2:

Oatmeal:
How did you make those small buttons so big Dave?

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