Age and Gender Differences in the Effectiveness of Map-like Learning Aids in Memory for Routes

Abstract

Young (ages 25–40 yrs) and older (ages 60–75 yrs) adults viewed a series of slides depicting a route through a neighborhood and were tested on their ability to remember the route. Subjects either received no learning aid, a sketch of the route labeled as a “map,” or the same aid labeled a “diagram.” Aids either did or did not include route landmarks. Relative to younger men, older men's performance was significantly poorer only when they had no learning aid. In contrast, age differences for women were obtained only when the aid had been labeled a “map.” The presence of landmarks eliminated age-related decrements in scene memory for men but increased them for women. In addition, results were consistent with the hypothesis that memory for large-scale environments is composed of “layout” (i.e., configural) and “scene” components.