Environmental learning in a virtual environment: Do gender, spatial self-efficacy, and visuospatial abilities matter?. (December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Miola, Laura; Meneghetti, Chiara; Toffalini, Enrico; Pazzaglia, Francesca
• Is Part Of: Journal of environmental psychology. Volume 78(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Subjects: Virtual environment -- Spatial learning -- Spatial self-efficacy -- Visuospatial abilities -- Gender differences; Environmental psychology -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; 155.905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101704
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0272-4944

Abstract

Abstract: The study investigated the role of individual differences in environmental learning, including gender, visuospatial cognitive abilities, and spatial self-efficacy. A sample of 173 participants learned a route in a virtual environment and, afterwards, indicated the starting point (pointing task) and located landmarks on a sketch map (map-completion task). An ad hoc single-item question measured the specific spatial self-efficacy referring to the tasks, whereas we assessed global spatial self-efficacy and visuospatial cognitive abilities using a questionnaire and two tasks, respectively. The results of the structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that general and task-specific self-efficacy and visuospatial cognitive abilities mediated the relationship between gender and map-completion. These findings suggest that self-efficacy (general and task-specific) and visuospatial cognitive abilities have a role in explaining the relationship between gender and environmental learning. Highlights: Global and task-specific spatial self-efficacy influence mental representations. Self-efficacy mediates the relation between gender and spatial learning. Visuospatial abilities mediate the relation between gender and spatial learning.