Mazes and Gender: What Do the Research Findings Tell Us?

Who is better at solving mazes men or women ? I was looking for scientific research on mazes to write my blog on brain health (The Surprising Benefits of Solving Mazes) and I stumbled upon this piece of research from 2007. The study aims to present a consensus statement based on the best available scientific evidence regarding sex differences in science and math achievement and ability. Basically how do we get more women into STEM fields, or why aren’t there more. The article concludes that sex differences in science and math achievement and ability are smaller for the mid-range of the distribution than they are for those with the highest levels of achievement and ability. So that is the overall conclusion, but part of the study looked at visuospatial abilities.

What are Visuospatial abilities ? They are the capacity to understand, reason, and remember the visual and spatial relations among objects or space. These abilities are used for everyday use from navigation, understanding or fixing equipment, understanding or estimating distance and measurement, and performing on a job. Spatial abilities are important for success in fields such as sports, technical aptitude, mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering.

The paper notes that males have consistently outperformed females on most measures of visuospatial abilities, including mazes. This difference is evident even when controlling for factors such as age, intelligence, and socioeconomic status.

The paper suggests that there are a number of possible explanations for the sex difference in maze performance. One possibility is that males have better spatial reasoning skills than females. Spatial reasoning is the ability to mentally manipulate objects and to visualize spatial relationships. Males may be better at spatial reasoning because they have more testosterone, a hormone that has been linked to spatial abilities.

Another possibility is that males are more interested in mazes than females. This could be due to cultural factors, such as the fact that mazes are often seen as a "male" activity (I did not realize this - are they ?). It could also be due to biological factors, such as the fact that males have a greater interest in objects and in exploring their environment.

Another interesting finding is that sex differences in spatial tasks are seen between the sexes by age 4.5 based on preschool testing (see page 8 of the study) !

So who is better at solving mazes ? Men are on average, but that doesn’t mean everyone can’t enjoy a great maze !

Here are some possible reasons why men and women might differ in maze solving ability:

  • Hormones: Testosterone has been shown to improve spatial ability in both men and women. However, men have higher levels of testosterone than women, so this could explain why men might be better at maze solving.

  • Brain structure: There are some differences in the brain structure of men and women. For example, the hippocampus, which is involved in spatial navigation, is larger in men than in women. This could also explain why men might be better at maze solving.

  • Socialization: Men and women are socialized differently. For example, boys are often encouraged to play with spatial toys, such as blocks and Legos, while girls are often encouraged to play with dolls and other non-spatial toys. This could also contribute to gender differences in maze solving ability.

Study used:

Title: The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics

  • Authors: Diane F. Halpern, Camilla P. Benbow, David C. Geary, Ruben C. Gur, Janet Shibley Hyde, Morton Ann Gernsbacher

  • Journal: Psychological Bulletin

  • Year: 2007

  • DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.2.268

Here is a link to the pdf of the entire study (51 pages)

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2007.00032.x