ABSTRACT
Spatial Learning and Cognition research is among few areas from which we have strong, unambiguous, reliable, (and cross-species) findings of male superiority. At the societal level, spatial ability has been significantly correlated with economic development and gender equality (Lippa et al., 2010). If STEM abilities are so important, and if STEM subjects and fields remain underrepresented by women today, especially in the highest occupational categories, how and why is this happening? The authors' initial foray into the study of gender and space was designed to see whether movement in virtual environments evidenced the same kinds of gender differences found in “real world” movement research. For that study, they developed and used a “Virtual Morris Water Maze” (VMWM), based on the classic water maze experiment used in animal experiments, and each of our subsequent studies has modified and used that virtual environment, supplemented by tests of mental rotation, a questionnaire, and concluding interviews.
