Gender differences in metacognitive judgments and performance on a goal-directed wayfinding task

Abstract

ABSTRACTMany studies have shown a gender difference in wayfinding ability, including a related gender difference in global metacognitive self-assessment and spatial anxiety. However, few studies have examined whether there are gender differences in trial-by-trial self-assessment, or, what we term, local metacognition. We assessed trial-by-trial metacognitive performance in a sample of men and women engaging in a first-person goal-directed maze wayfinding task. Methods for assessing trial-by-trial metacognitive performance were adapted from Nelson and Narens’ (1990, Metamemory: A theoretical framework and new findings. The psychology of learning and motivation, 26, 125–141.) Metamemory framework. Results showed that men were more accurate at assessing their trial-by-trial performance than women when the assessment was made after performance. This suggests that women are more likely to err in assessing their past navigational performance, and thus may be less likely to undertake corrective control actions in the future.