6-18 year old Tsimané children: Few gender differences were found in mobility or spatial ability, although males pointed more accurately to challenging (high sinuosity) routes; girls were more harm avoidant & took more direct routes

Spatial cognition, navigation, and mobility among children in a forager-horticulturalist population, the Tsimané of Bolivia. Helen Elizabeth Davis, Elizabeth Cashdan. Human Behavior and Evolution Society 31st annual meeting. Boston 2019. http://tiny.cc/aa1w6y

Abstract: In many societies, males range farther than females, and this greater environmental experience may foster better spatial ability. Females are also reported to be more harm-avoidant, which may reduce spatial exploration. We evaluated these relationships among 6-18 year old Tsimané children, who live in a forager-horticulturalist society where both girls and boys have few constraints on spatial exploration compared to children in Western societies. Mobility was assessed through GPS tracking and interview, spatial ability through pointing accuracy, perspective-taking and mental rotation, and harm avoidance through interview. Few gender differences were found in mobility or spatial ability, although males pointed more accurately to challenging (high sinuosity) routes. Tsimané girls were more harm avoidant beginning in adolescence, and harm-avoidant adolescents took more direct routes. Greater regional travel and winding daily tracks were predictive of better navigation, but mental rotation scores was more strongly correlated with schooling.