Orientation behavior in men and women: The relationship between gender stereotype, growth mindset, and spatial self-efficacy

Abstract

People's beliefs about their navigation ability could be important for their navigation performance. This correlational study aimed to investigate how growth mindset, gender stereotype, and spatial self-efficacy are related to orientation behaviors (use of GPS and exploration tendency). Moreover, we investigated gender differences in beliefs and orientation behaviors. A sample of 609 participants (329 women) completed self-reported measures assessing their mindset, gender stereotype, spatial self-efficacy, sense of direction, and orientation behaviors. The structural equation models show that a growth mindset and gender stereotype are related to exploration tendency and GPS use through the mediation of spatial self-efficacy in both men and women. Concerning gender stereotype a different pattern of correlation emerged in men and women. Moreover, significant differences in favor of men emerged in self-efficacy, sense of direction, and orientation behaviors. Overall, these findings support the conviction that men and women's beliefs about their spatial abilities are related to the ways they behave in the environment.