The Influence of Sex and Cognitive Style on Eye Movement Patterns during Map Navigation

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Abstract

We investigated the effects of sex and cognitive style on performance in the map navigation task with various label types (object labels, verbal labels, no labels) in 40 healthy participants (20 men, 20 women, age 24,3±0,8) using eye tracking. The cognitive styles (object, spatial, verbal) were assessed using a questionnaire developed by Blazhenkova and Kozhevnikov [2009]. Only men had a reduced number of fixations during route reproduction compared to route memorization; women had longer saccade durations than men. Participants with spatial cognitive style showed shorter saccade duration compared to object cognitive style. Participants with spatial and verbal cognitive styles had more fixations on maps with verbal labels than on the other maps. Analysis of questionnaire and the number of fixations has demonstrated the link between sex and cognitive style, but the effects of sex and cognitive style are not identical. Sex affects eye movements during the performance of different tasks (map familiarization, route memorization, and route reproduction), while cognitive style determines eye movements during navigation on maps with different types of labels.

General Information

Keywords: navigation, maps, sex, cognitive style, eye movement

Journal rubric: Psychology of Perception

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/exppsy.2024170201

Funding. The article was prepared in full within the state assignment of Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation for 2021—2023.

Received: 12.02.2024

Accepted:

For citation: Kushnir A.B., Mikhailova E.S., Gerasimenko N.Yu. The Influence of Sex and Cognitive Style on Eye Movement Patterns during Map Navigation. Eksperimental'naâ psihologiâ = Experimental Psychology (Russia), 2024. Vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 10–28. DOI: 10.17759/exppsy.2024170201. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Anastasia B. Kushnir, Minor Scientist, Laboratory of Physiology of Sensory Systems, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology of RAS, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4627-9484, e-mail: naya.kushnir@gmail.com

Elena S. Mikhailova, Doctor of Biology, Main Scientist, Laboratory of Physiology of Sensory Systems, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology of RAS, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5098-1909, e-mail: esmikhailova@mail.ru

Natalia Y. Gerasimenko, PhD in Biology, Senior Scientist, Laboratory of Physiology of Sensory Systems, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology of RAS, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-4509, e-mail: nger@mail.ru

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